


Ark-Second Chances

by epicwriter87



Category: ARK: Survival Evolved
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Derogatory Language, Dinosaurs, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, Multi, Not a porno, On Hiatus, POV First Person, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Content, Slavery, Suicide, Temporary Character Death, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:35:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 38,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28054749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/epicwriter87/pseuds/epicwriter87
Summary: Prepare to experience Ark like never before. Following the events of Extinction, humanity returns to Earth, freed from the Arks. At first, colonization goes smoothly and all appears peaceful. However, the memories remain. Though some remember lives of peace and friendship, many remember lives of cutthroat survival. Memories of theft, murder, and brutal war greet many of the people upon their return. The wars soon start again. After decades of pointless fighting, hope wins out. The Arks reveal their secrets and humanity learns to control the Arks. Extreme measures are taken to prevent such wars from taking place again; offenders of violent crimes are exiled back into the Arks. These criminals must overcome their violent natures and the beasts that rule the Arks if they ever hope to return to Earth. But what happens when good, innocent people end up in the same Arks?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. Hell and a Child

**Author's Note:**

> *This is going to be dark, so I want readers to be prepared. The lead child character is an abuse victim, so many chapters will likely have triggers.  
> *I would also like to add that I'm putting a spin on this involving the research and experiments of one Edmund Rockwell. I'll try to balance it out as I go.  
> *I will likely add more tags as I go deeper into the story.  
> *If characters from multiple tribes are in a chapter, I will clarify whose point of view the chapter is told from.  
> *In regards to rape/non-con elements, I don't intend to write graphic descriptions.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan Lucas decides to steal a dodo egg, but his partner kills the farmer. Logan is held responsible for the death of the farmer and is exiled to the Barbarian Lands Ark. His difficult task of reforming himself is further complicated by the unexpected presence of a young girl who definitely doesn't belong. That wasn't the highlight of his first day though...

Chapter 1: Hell and a Child

Day 1

Well, I'm fucked. I should have learned my lesson the first five times, but it's too late now. All I intended to do was steal a dodo egg. If it had been that simple, I would have been sentenced to community service and set free a few months later. That outcome went flying out the window when my partner shot the farmer in the chest; I guess that's what happens when you hang out with a guy who has an addiction to hallucinogenic mushrooms. He didn't end up making it and now I've been charged as an accessory to murder.

If this had happened in the Ark, the guy would have respawned and exacted justice, run away, or waged war. You don't stay dead in the Ark, by the way. This happened on Earth though...you don't respawn there. So, I was judged, sentenced, sedated, and placed in a controlled coma. My consciousness was then removed from my body and placed in the Ark matrix. I wasn't just sent to any Ark though; this was the 'Barbarian Lands'. This was an Ark that tests even the heartless. I've heard rumors that this Ark was programmed for Edmund Rockwell, so he might face justice for his actions in the event that he was ever revived.

This was an Ark where the predators are abundant in number and the land was unforgiving. To the north was a large desert; if the predators didn't get you, dehydration would. To the east was a nightmarish redwoods region; getting stuck in their at night was a guaranteed death sentence. To the south was a region named 'Eternal Winter'; this harsh snow-covered region showed mercy to no one. To the west was a network of canyons and caves; in addition to the nocturnal creatures that patrolled the canyons, there were stories of a feral tribe of men who killed as often as they breathed. In the center of the Ark was an active volcano, surrounded by one large jungle; within this area, the land was divided among the tribes of criminals who call this place 'home'. If you're wondering about the sandy beaches, green fields, lakes, and rivers, they're few in number and occupied by the tribes. I know all of this because my father told me about this place when I was a kid.

The day I turned thirteen, he sat me down and told me about this place. Said he spent ten years in this Ark for killing a guy. This happened when I was about two, so by the time I had a chance to know the old man, I was starting puberty and focused entirely on girls. He had been in the house for a year and he thought he knew me; at the time, I was convinced that he didn't know jackshit about me. Looking back now, I realize he knew me better than I knew myself, in spite of the fact that he hadn't been in my life for ten years.

I was blinded by scorching sunlight as I sat up on a rocky beach between the desert and the redwoods. That put me in the northeast. I was closer to the desert, but I preferred the redwoods. For as far as I could see in either direction, the beach was buried by rocks, logs, and seaweed; on occasion, I spotted a wandering trilobite. I looked down to see I was nearly naked, wearing only a pair of thin hide boxers. I scanned the beach for predators, but all I saw were dodos, lystros, and moschops...until I turned around.

It was a young girl laying on a long flat rock; she couldn't be older than ten. She was wearing a thin hide shirt with straps and a pair of hide underwear. She had no hair and she was asleep, so I couldn't see her eyes. At best guess, she was one point five meters tall and weighed thirty-six and a half kilos. Her skin was pale. She stirred suddenly, but she didn't wake. I sighed with relief.

My first instinct was to leave her. She would be a burden and cause unnecessary trouble if I encountered another person. Everyone here was a criminal and most were murderers and predators. For every eight men in this Ark, there were two women, roughly. The old man had spoke of whole tribes being wiped out just to claim a woman. The women were also criminals, but they couldn't compete with the brutality of the men, so they submitted, until an opportunity arose to make their captors pay. If the men found this young innocent girl though, she would endure a hell that made my own pale in comparison, considering that she couldn't age and couldn't permanently die.

I didn't sign up for any of this. I didn't intend to watch a man die, I didn't intend to be stuck in the most hellish Ark created, and I didn't intend to babysit a ten-year-old girl while I fought for my life and tried to redeem myself so I could go home. All I wanted was a fucking dodo egg. Whether I liked it or not though, unless I came across a kind-hearted person, and preferably a woman, she was my child now. I'd had preferred to arm myself with a weapon, but making her some cloth armor was going to have to be my top priority. Thankfully, I had spent months during my teenage years in the Junior Arks honing my skills; wanna guess who came up with that idea?

Page 2

The Junior Arks are essentially the same as the Ark I'm in now, with two key differences. Difference number one; when a dinosaur attacks you, you don't feel pain and if you die you find yourself on Earth with a horde of doctors examining your mental health; you can't send a developing mind into a life and death simulation without adequate support, right? Difference number two: the ratio of herbivores to carnivores is three to one; if you were to encounter a predator, it would probably be weaker and not in a pack. Either way though, I learnt the survival skills I would need if I ever ended up in a place like this; thanks for that, old man.

I bent over and picked the girl up, gingerly placing her on my shoulder, noticing that she felt heavier than I expected her to. I began walking down the coast towards the distant redwoods, fairly certain that we were in the Neutral Zone, but I didn't want to take any chances; further north was the territory of the King Scorpions. If what my old man told me was true, this was a tribe that took pleasure in torturing their victims before killing them. If this was the case though, I would be safe as long as I wasn't in their territory. And for the record, the Neutral Zone is a legit place in this Ark; it isn't a fucking reference to that ancient collection of stories called 'Star Trek'.

She stirred again and sobbed this time, as if locked in a nightmare. From what I could tell, her body hadn't begun to develop, so she probably hadn't started puberty yet. Her face reflected a sense of ignorant innocence. She likely knew nothing about this cursed simulation. All of these facts were stacked against her, unfortunately. The sooner I could teach her how to survive here, the sooner she'd adjust to her harsh new reality.

When I got out of this place, I intended to confront the asshole who put her in here. She wasn't ready for this place and any sane person would know that. Besides, what the hell could she have possibly done to end up here? Even if she killed a person, she wouldn't belong here. For that reason, I'd gladly come back to this place if I knew I could see justice done to the monster who had ruined her life.

Right now, you're wondering how her life is ruined, right? You're probably wondering why some doctor on Earth can't just transfer her consciousness back to her body, I bet. Well, I hate to break it to you, but the only way to get out of here is by defeating a spider, an ape, a dragon, and...the Overseer. These are creatures that make the predators here look like...ten-year-old girls, actually. I kid you not; these challenges break even the most ruthless criminals, so what do you think it'll do to the girl I'm carrying? The only way she can return to Earth is if she witnesses, on the battlefield, the defeat of the Broodmother Lysrix, Megapithecus, Dragon, and Overseer.

But surely there must be an override to pull her out, right? Nope. When humanity voted on whether to use this technology for the purpose of reforming the violent citizens of Earth, they ruled against the possibility of a pardon or parole, stating it would undermine their effort to rehabilitate the person in question. If Her specimen Implant doesn't record her defeating the four monsters, she can never leave.

I jumped in startled surprise as the girl screamed into my ear, signifying that she had woken up. I dropped to my knees and set her on the ground. She tried to run, but I grabbed one of her wrists and spun her back against my chest, placing one arm around her stomach and covering her mouth with my other hand. She struggled and flailed in my grip, but she soon grew still.

"Listen carefully, child; you are in the Barbarian Lands Ark. If you know what this is, nod your head." I said sternly.

She gave a slight nod.

"This place is filled with dinosaurs that can swallow you whole. Nod if you know this."

Again, she nodded.

"This place is where the worst criminals are kept. Did you know that?"

She shook her head this time. After a few seconds passed, my hand felt wet; she was crying.

"I promise I won't hurt you. Do you trust me?"

She shook her head again.

Page 3

"I'm going to let go of you, but if you run, you could die. Do you understand?"

She nodded slowly. I let go of her, uncertain as to what would happen next. She turned to look behind her and I thought she was going to run, but then she fell to her knees and sobbed softly, curling up into a ball and laying on her side. I slowly got to my feet and stared down at her as the tears streamed down her face. This went on for a few moments before she looked up at me.

"What happens next?"

"We get to Bloody Lake and find shelter. Haven't you spent any time in the Junior Arks?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

Most children began training in the Junior Arks by eight, so when I started at thirteen, I got my ass kicked fairly regularly. PVP among the children was discouraged, but it happened nonetheless. I figured she must have had some level of basic training, but I was caught off guard by her response.

"You do not know who I am?" She asked as she turned to face me.

"No; should I?"

"I am Emily Joy."

The name went around a few times in my head and sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. I shrugged and shook my head.

"Well, you must know my father. Levi Benson?" She said with a scowl.

"You're fucking with me, right?" I said without thinking; not my first choice of words under normal circumstances.

"No; my father is...Levi Benson." The girl seemed to choke on those last words.

"I had heard rumors that the asshole adopted a child, but I thought he wanted an heir to carry on his family legacy." I thought out loud.

"Someone to keep his family famous, right?" The girl asked with a sad smile.

"Something like that, kid."

Emily shook her head before saying, "My father only had one thing on his mind, and it always hurt."

I looked into her eyes; they were shamrock green. I had survived the streets by spotting dishonesty, hatred, and ill will simply by staring into a person's eyes. I had no reason to believe Emily was lying about an accusation like this, but old habits were hard to break. After a moment of looking for the telltale signs of a liar, I realized there were none to find.

"I'm sorry; I didn't know."

"Now what? What do you plan to do with me?" Emily asked as fear, anger, and sorrow seemed to play on her face all at once.

"I just got here; I didn't expect to meet another person so soon, much less a child who doesn't belong here." I answered after a brief pause.

"What kind of criminal are you? Lowlife, Killer, Predator, Monster, or Unforgiven?" Emily demanded.

"What?"

"You think my father is the only one who...hurt me?"

"First of all," I had to regain my composure before I continued, "I'd be lower than a Lowlife if it hadn't been for a poor choice of companions; I've never broken a single bone in another person's body. Secondly, knowing what you've been through makes me want to kill someone now."

"What is your name, 'lower than Lowlife'?" Emily asked, still uncertain as to whether I could be trusted.

"Logan; Logan Lucas."

Page 4

I'd like to take a moment to explain the criminal ranks in this Ark. Lowlifes are generally people who have a history of violence but never kill; I'm an exception as an accessory to murder, making me a Lowlife in spite of not hurting anyone since I was a young teenager. Killers are the ones that become too violent and end up with a manslaughter record. Predators are the criminals that prey on the weak, usually women and children; they keep their victims alive. Monsters are like Killers, but they plan the deaths of others; murder, plain and simple. The Unforgiven are the worst of us; they abuse, molest, and brutally torture their victims until they become bored, then they go for a slow, painful kill usually. This system was used among fellow criminals on Earth as well. Now I too was in this system, all because I wanted a dodo egg.

"Why are you here, Logan?" Emily asked suddenly as she sat up to face me.

"A dodo egg." I chuckled.

"You got put with the worst criminals because of a dodo egg?" She asked, clearly skeptical.

"Remember I said I chose my companions poorly. I only wanted to steal a dodo egg, but my companion shot the farmer and he died later. Because I had criminal intentions, I was held responsible for his death as well and now I'm here."

"You have no plans to hurt me then?"

"Right now, I plan to make you some cloth armor, but we need to get into the jungle so I can gather the materials." I answered honestly.

"Why were you not going into the jungle when I woke up?" Emily asked as she gave me a suspicious stare.

"I wanted to make sure we were in a region that's safe from the criminal tribes. I also haven't figured out how I'm gonna keep you safe yet, so I'm reluctant to enter the jungle without a weapon."

"Do not worry about me. if I die, I will just respawn." Emily pointed out.

"Have you ever died before, Emily?" I asked delicately now.

"No."

"It's a scary thing to die and wake up remembering every second of your death. The less you die the better because respawning around here is dangerous; tribes like the Dirty Pigs specialize in capturing respawned survivors." I explained.

As we began walking towards the jungle, I felt Emily grab my hand. It was obvious that my words impacted her the way I intended them to. I didn't intend to scare her into submission like her good-for-nothing father probably did, but I needed her to understand that this wasn't a game. I needed her to know that every choice she made from this point on could end with death, or worse.

I continued to scan my surroundings for potential threats, but nothing I could see posed a significant threat. I realized suddenly that I had become hyper-alert with Emily at my side as I picked up a couple of pieces of flint. I don't have any siblings and I never had a woman for more than a few days, but I had a new appreciation for everything my mother had done for me now. I had an idea of what it meant to be a parent, even if only on the smallest scale.

I bent down and picked up a thick stick with my free hand (there was only one place to put the flint and my thighs were bulging); I knew I'd die if I went into this jungle without a weapon. Emily picked up a much thinner stick, but I noticed the stick had a sharp point, making it an effective spear. I looked around for any other useful resources, but at this point, I was going to have to do some manual labor if I wanted to gather further resources. I looked up to see that the sun was directly overhead; now was as good of time as any to enter this death trap. We took our first steps into the jungle.

The jungle heightened my senses further with each step we took. As the sunlight dimmed and the canopy grew thicker, I was overwhelmed with dread. We walked slowly to avoid the debris on the jungle floor. Along with the bushes of berries and assortment of flowers that brought color to the jungle (where light managed to filter in), there were rocks, sticks, and vines littering the floor. I looked up to see the towering trees and branches that spread in every direction, watching as a handful of leaves would fall to the floor when a creature ran across a branch.

Page 5

The Arks had been upgraded to include modern creatures from our era as well. If you've seen it in a zoo, you'll see it here too, depending on the simulation you're in. There had been quite a few changes to the Arks over the last half century. There are too many to list, but simply put, It felt like life on Earth for the most part. One of the few things that hadn't changed was the breeding of creatures. You could still have a fully trained and matured rex in less than four days.

"Logan?" Emily whimpered.

I realized that the jungle had gone almost completely dark now. I looked up and saw that even the foliage looked dark, like a twilight sky right before the darkness sets in. I could tell something was wrong though; the color was returning to my eyes. For whatever reason, the darkness seemed no different than the sunlight I had stared up at before entering the jungle. Sounds grew in intensity as well.

"Emily, you're going to have to trust me for a while." I said softly.

"Why? What are you doing?" Emily shuddered, trying to let go of my hand now.

"I'm not going to hurt you, but I'm going to have to guide you through this jungle until we come to a clearing." I explained.

"How can you see anything?" Emily asked nervously.

"I don't know, but if you set your foot down, you'll step on thorns." I warned.

"Oh, now I see them."

"How can _you_ see anything?" I countered now.

"My eyes adjust well in darkness." Emily replied as she carefully stepped over the thorn infested vines on the jungle floor.

"Before or after you were adopted?"

"After." She murmured.

Figures; the heartless bastard probably kept her locked in a closet or a basement most of the time. I was beginning to get an idea of what Emily's life must have been like before I met her, not that it was much better now. I wouldn't be surprised if her body back on Earth was bruised and malnourished. I had to stop myself; I could hear two hearts pounding now.

"Are you alright, Emily?"

"I hate the dark. It brings back bad memories." Emily nearly whispered.

"I used to be afraid of the dark when I was your age." I said, not being entirely truthful.

"Really?"

"Kind of." I paused with a sigh; I couldn't lie to this kid, it seemed, "There were some nights when I would look up to the sky and I would sense death and destruction was near."

"Why?"

I asked myself the same question, but soon gave up before replying, "I don't know, but I hope the Ark might have the answer."

"Why do you think you can find the answer here?"

"Just a feeling I have. I feel like I belong here."

"You are a criminal, of course you belong here." Emily reminded me nervously.

"No, that's not what I mean. I feel like I was born here."

"How is that possible? You were born on Earth like me, right?"

Page 6

"Emily, I notice that you don't use contractions when you speak. Where did you go to school?" I changed the subject; I was bothered by her lower than average vocabulary.

By the age of ten, most children had vocabularies that were equivalent to a pre-Ark sixteen-year-old. At fifteen, the same children would speak as well as I do, if not better. But Emily spoke like today's six-year-old; it was as if her traditional education had been abandoned.

"I was taught in the orphanage until I was adopted at six. After that, my father taught me what he _thought_ was important." She said sourly.

I'm not even going to begin to guess what Benson qualified as important. Based on her bitter emphasis of the word though, I knew most, if not all, of what he taught her wouldn't be appropriate school material. I reached a definite conclusion though and couldn't decide whether to be sick or enraged. I wanted to keep this conclusion to myself, but she deserved to know if she didn't.

"Emily, do you know what a slave is?"

"That is what I was." Emily answered with a shudder.

"But do you know what it means?"

"Why are you asking me this? I want to talk about something else." Emily pleaded.

"Fine. I just want you to know that you're a strong girl and you deserve better."

"My father said the only thing I deserve-."

"Shut up!" I whispered in her ear before covering her mouth with the hand she had been holding.

Off to my left, at a distance of, five hundred meters maybe, I spotted the first sign of trouble. It was a Utahraptor. These things normally hunted in packs of four, but this one was alone. I'd of considered it a blessing if it weren't for the child at my side; even one of these carnivores would kill her instantly with a well placed bite. Unfortunately, it was tracking us now. Don't ask me how I could spot a raptor in a dense jungle from five hundred meters; I didn't have that answer yet.

Emily let out a confused, muffled cry.

"Raptor. It's looking for us."

I looked around at my surroundings, desperate to find shelter. Nine meters to my right was a tree with a hollowed out bottom. There was no way I would fit in there, but Emily would. She was going to be cramped, but it might end up saving her life. I walked over to the tree, not taking my hand off of her mouth until we were on our knees. I looked inside the hollow to see that it was empty.

"Listen; you have to get under this tree and stay quiet. I'm probably going to die, but no matter what happens, I'll find you. I won't leave this Ark until I know you're safe." I murmured softly.

"Why would you come back for me?" Emily whispered after crawling under the tree.

"Because I care about you."

I heard the snapping of twigs in the distance. I turned around to see the raptor sprinting towards me. It wasn't simply following a scent or sound anymore, it could see me now. Apparently this wasn't just a wandering stray; this raptor was accustomed to hunting in the darkness of the jungle. I picked up my stick and moved about ninety meters from the tree. By the time I was in place, the raptor was less than one hundred and fifty meters away. In another thirty seconds, I would get my first dose of hell. I waited.

As the distance rapidly closed, I swung the stick up in an uppercut, putting all the strength I had into it. I assumed if it flinched, that would be my best-case scenario. To my surprise, however, the raptor staggered backwards. The raptor stared at me for a second before leaping at me. I was suddenly filled with what I thought was adrenaline, but I soon learned that I had been pumped with more than just the fight or flight juice. Without thinking, I effortlessly dodged the attack and smashed the stick into the raptor's left side. It roared and spun on its feet. It lunged at me again; I evaded and smashed the stick against the left side of its head. The stick broke this time, forcing me to discard it as the raptor roared in pain and shook its head.

Page 7

I was left with only two options now; surrender and die, or wrestle with the four hundred and fifty kilogram predator. I chose the second option. The predator had sharp jagged teeth, long sharp claws, and wicked talons, but I ran at it nonetheless. I brought my head down and charged forward with surprising speed. I rammed my shoulder into its chest, knocking it backwards a few steps. It quickly regained its balance and slashed at me with its claws. I dodged one, but the other went down the length of my left arm.

I staggered back and fell to my knees. I knew I had put up one hell of a fight, but it was over. Even if I could get up, I wasn't gonna be able to hurt the fucker. I closed my eyes and waited for the fatal blow to kill me. As its teeth tore through my throat, a single thought burst into my head right before death.

 _It's not over yet_.

My eyes snapped open and I sat up gasping, my final moments still fresh in my mind. I jumped to my feet and turned around; the raptor had made it to the tree. Emily's screams were easily audible as the predator tried to pull her out of the tree. I ran at the raptor with surprising speed; even at a distance of ninety meters, I reached the tree within ten seconds. Now came the challenge of saving Emily. I knew I wasn't strong enough to overpower the raptor. It was digging a hole under the tree and would soon be able to stick its head inside.

"BACK OFF!" I roared.

The raptor turned to face me. It tilted its head and stared at me for a moment. I'm assuming this is what confusion looked like for a raptor. Whatever confusion it may have had soon disappeared and it suddenly lunged at me. Against my better judgement, I stood my ground and let out a deafening roar. The raptor staggered back and I saw...fear? I put the idea to the test and let my rage guide me. I stepped forward and roared again. Sure enough, it cowered back, scurrying behind the tree now.

"Leave us alone!" I bellowed, running at the raptor now.

The raptor ran away, sprinting as fast as it could in the opposite direction from which it had approached. It stopped and looked back at me after traveling about two hundred meters. I glared at it and it flinched, averting its gaze from me. However, it would not flee further.

I went back to the tree and pulled Emily out from the hole. She looked into my eyes and screamed. I staggered back a couple of meters as the sound submerged me into darkness again. When I regained consciousness, I saw Emily had gone back into the hole. I looked around to see what had scared her, but even with my vision, there was no sign of danger. The raptor was about a hundred meters closer now, but one glance in its direction sent it scampering a few meters backwards.

"Emily, what scared you?" I asked, crouching down in front of the tree.

"Your eyes are glowing purple and you scare me!"

"I was scaring off the raptor. I wouldn't hurt you, Emily." I insisted.

"Dad would say that right before he turned off the lights!"

I looked at my specimen implant; I couldn't tell what color I was seeing, but it was indeed glowing brightly.

"Emily, we're running around in our underwear; if that's what you're afraid of, don't be. If I was anything like your father, 'that' would have happened already." The statement had made perfect sense in my head, but I regretted the choice of words as soon as they came out of my mouth.

"My dad has made good people bad just by sharing me!" Emily countered, her voice cracking as she cried.

I was at a loss of words now. How do I convince a child that I'm not going to hurt her after scaring off a raptor with just my voice? I finally sat down by the tree and closed my eyes.

"Fine, I'll just wait here, Emily. I'm not going to hurt you, but I'm not going to let anyone else hurt you either." I murmured.

There was a long silence before Emily spoke again.

Page 8

"Did you not die?"

"Yes, I died." I answered calmly.

"Then how do you have the flint in your underwear?"

I looked down and sure enough, there were two bulges protruding from my boxers. If I had died, I should have respawned back on the beach where I started. Not only did I not respawn on the beach, but I was also in my original body and appeared to be unharmed. I know that raptor ripped my throat out; I spent the last thirty-five seconds choking on blood before I asphyxiated to death.

"I don't know what happened, Emily. I do know you would have died if I had respawned the way I was supposed to."

"I'm safer without you!"

"Emily, you know your father is here, right?"

She gasped.

"I will do everything in my power to make sure he doesn't find you, but you have to trust me."

"Are you telling the truth? Is my...father...really here?" Emily asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Your father runs the tribe of Dirty Pigs." I said.

"How do you know all of this?" Emily demanded.

"My father told me right before I was sent here. He knew I was going to get in trouble, so he gathered as much info on the Arks as he could. He said if I ended up here, I should stay as far away from Levi Benson as possible, because he ruled a tribe of Predators and Unforgivens."

"That sounds like my father. He said I would have more friends than I could count on my fingers and toes." Emily sobbed.

I turned to look behind the tree; the raptor stood in place this time. It had made no attempt to close the distance between us. For that, I was thankful. However, I didn't understand why it stayed in place. Was it waiting for reinforcements? Was it going to make a move once I fell asleep? It's refusal to select new prey concerned me.

I tapped my specimen implant, which was still glowing. Normally, tapping your specimen implant gave you access to your vitals, tribe log, survival tips, and map. We didn't level up through achievements anymore, so the engram system was gone. Imagine my surprise though when none of this showed up. Instead, I was greeted with the face of Edmund Rockwell.

"Greetings. I am Edmund Rockwell. You are my greatest experiment, Logan Lucas."

"I don't believe this." I scowled.

"Right now, you're probably having doubts about the validity of my statement, but I assure you, you are my greatest success. My ascension to godhood didn't go according to plan, so I began a new experiment within the Ark; you. Logan, if this message is playing, it means you have just witnessed events that would be considered impossible from an uneducated person's perspective."

"So you're greatest experiment is a retard?" I asked sarcastically, not expecting a response.

"Logan, outside of the Ark, you are an ordinary human being. Your choices are your own and your life is what you make of it. You could very well end up with a genius mind like my own, but I rather doubt it. Inside the Ark however, your consciousness has evolved. Let me explain how this has happened. It seems that I died at some point. In doing so, I merged with the Ark and we now share one consciousness. I couldn't hope to control the Ark with my own limited intelligence, so I chose patience, as all scientists must."

I glanced back at the tree to see Emily crawling out from the hole. She was curious now about who, or what, I was. I shared her curiosity; what the hell had this mad scientist done to me, and how was he able to do it within the Ark matrix?

Page 9

"I spent what must have been decades learning how the Ark recreated life from what seemed like nothing. I know now that the intelligence of the Ark is far too advanced for humanity to have created, or if it did, it was during it's last dying days. Indeed; it is likely that humanity went extinct and many millennia worth of scientific research and conclusive data were stored in an archive, allowing a sentient machine to recreate us based on the information it had."

There was a brief pause and I was thankful that the guy had shut up. His scientific rambling had begun to bore me to the point where I actually tapped my specimen implant to see if I could make him go away.

"Oh, I seem to have gotten off track though; this is about you, Logan. Once I grasped the concept of how people were created within the Ark, I began trying to replicate the process. Many of my attempts ended in failure, until I finally succeeded. I waited an eternity before I implemented phase two. Phase two was the integration of both dinosaur and human DNA. Every attempt I made to create a human/dinosaur hybrid ended in failure. At times, I thought I had been successful, but the primitive dinosaur instincts always overpowered the human consciousness. The Ark deleted my creations each time, making it clear that such a being wasn't possible given the purpose of its programming."

"Go figure, old man. It was built to save humanity, not promote an artificial stage of evolution." I snorted; what did I just say?

"The fact that you're here means I've proven the Ark wrong! There are nearly two hundred different prehistoric creatures in the Ark and you have DNA from all of them! You _are_ my greatest creation, Logan. I don't expect you to breathe fire like a wyvern, or grow to the size of a rex, but I suspect you will be gifted with unusual powers that no man has ever witnessed."

"What's the catch, Rockwell? Every creation has its bugs." I muttered.

"However, there is a catch. As I stated earlier, Logan, the primitive dinosaur instincts overpowered the human consciousness. You must learn to control your dinosaur DNA, or else you will lose your humanity and thus be deleted from the Ark. I won't sugarcoat things; the more incredible your powers become, the more difficult it will be to keep your humanity intact."

"Just fucking great!" I snarled.

"Never fear though; I've left you with tools to supplement your human DNA. Your specimen implant has extra features that you'll find to be life saving on more than one occasion, I'm sure. You're a born survivor, Logan; I made sure of that."

"Why do I feel like I've been given a death sentence?" I asked rhetorically.

"One last thing. If you're curious as to how I know your name, let's just say the Ark has a way of influencing the minds of men, or in this case, mothers. I may have given the name to her as a suggestion. I'm sure we will meet properly, in due time, that is. Good luck, Logan Lucas."

The face vanished, to my relief. I watched as the glow faded from my specimen implant as well. I realized that I felt more calm now, as though some bottled up rage had been lifted from my soul. I looked down at Emily.

"My eyes aren't glowing anymore, are they?" I asked, fairly certain that they weren't.

"No; your eyes stopped glowing." Emily answered nervously.

"You're still scared, aren't you?" I asked.

"Yes."

"I'm not gonna eat you, Emily."

I tapped my implant again. True to the lunatic's words, my implant had additional features. There was a feature that measured the ratio of human to dinosaur DNA, kept a record of when the dinosaur DNA would spike, and alerted me when the balance would become unstable. Another feature showed me what abilities I had and when I could unlock new abilities; apparently I had dino engrams now. The next feature compared my current strength to the strength of other dinosaurs and showed how my strength would increase based on the amount of dinosaur DNA present in my body. The last feature seemed to drain me of excess dino DNA; it warned of consequences if I tried to purge more than forty percent of the dino DNA in a single day. My ratio of human to dinosaur DNA was currently ninety to ten.

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I glanced behind the tree; the raptor hadn't moved yet. I think I finally got it. This would be the most unexpected thing to happen all day, but if I was right, I was looking at a tamed raptor now. Normally you need to knock the fuckers out and hand feed them a generous supply of meat, but it looked like I had bypassed the whole process. I'm no genius, like Rockwell said, but at a guess, I'd say it had something to do with the dino DNA.

I whistled the follow command. The raptor ran to my side within a matter of minutes. Emily crawled back into the tree, but after sticking my damn fingers in the raptor's mouth and pulling them out whole, she nervously came out and stood at my side. She refused to make eye contact with the predator, but at her age, I'm not sure I would either.

"Emily, how much of that did you understand?" I asked softly.

"I know you are part dinosaur and you could turn into a dinosaur if you are not careful." She answered.

"Kid, when we find a place to call home, I'm going to teach you how to use contractions." I sighed as I took her hand.

The rest of the trip was quiet and uneventful. We didn't make it to Bloody Lake, but after a couple of hours of stumbling through a jungle that was nearly pitch dark, we were relieved to see a large field with a small lake. There were herbivores of all varieties, but I didn't spot any predators. I looked at my newly tamed raptor, but she didn't sense anything either. My sight returned to normal, but my hearing remained hypersensitive. I checked my implant; the ratio was now ninety-five to five.

"I never thought I would see the sun again." Emily smiled.

"It's good to see sunlight again, but having a water source near by is even better." I pointed out.

"Oh yes, I could use a drink." Emily agreed, daring a glance at the raptor now.

The raptor ignored her though, she was on full alert as she kept track of every dino on the field, watching their every move. I suspected that she wasn't simply protecting us from other predators though; Even at five percent dinosaur DNA, I could sense that she was hungry. For a brief moment, I was tempted to find an adequate target and hunt it with her, but I realized I had no weapons.

"You're gonna have to wait, girl; I don't have anything to hunt with yet. Don't worry though, I won't let you starve for long." I murmured as I pet her belly.

"I still have this." Emily said, revealing her right hand.

How could I have forgotten the spear? Yes, I know it's just a stick with a pointy end; well, let's do something about that...after we get some water.

We all had our fill of water when we got to the lake. Many of the smaller herbivores, such as lystrosaurus, mesopithecus, and ovis were quick to clear out, but most of the creatures at the lake didn't view a lone raptor as a threat. My tame was somewhat intimidated by this response, but being the predator that she was, she didn't let it show. She gracefully dipped her head in the water and came back up with a large fish shortly after.

"Well she's got her meal, now we need to find ours."

"You have my stick and flint; you could make a spear, right?"

"Where'd you learn that?" I asked, amused at her obvious suggestion.

"I met a man who said he made a spear out of wood, thatch, and flint. He said it saved his life more than once."

"What kind of guy was he?" I asked, expecting him to be another creep.

"He was a nice man. My father paid him to watch me while he was away on business."

"By business, you mean hanging out with criminals." I stated rather than asked.

"I do not know. Sometimes my dad would come back happy and he would ignore me for a couple of days. There were other times when he was angry and said I needed to be punished as soon as he saw me." Emily answered with a murmur.

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"What about the nice man? Did your father like him?" I asked, changing the subject; I didn't have the strength to go down this road any further.

"No, I guess not. He was disappointed that I was still happy when he came back. I never saw the man again."

"Well, he's right. I'll need to gather some thatch and carve the flint into a spear tip, but I could make a spear with what we have." Another road I didn't like, so I took a more positive approach.

"What are you going to hunt with the spear?" Emily asked with a smile.

"Fish." I answered, happy to see her smile.

"Why not something bigger? You have a raptor." She pointed out.

"This isn't a strong stick though. If I try to hunt something bigger, the spear will probably break." I answered with a frown.

"Oh."

My original goal was to make Emily a set of cloth armor, but getting fed was a higher priority now. After hours of carving the flint into the shape I wanted and making the thatch fiber cords needed to secure the flint on the stick, I had a functional spear. I stepped into the water and inhaled. I stared intently at the water and remained motionless as the fish swam around me. I exhaled and suddenly lunged the spear into the water and pulled back...nothing.

My raptor playfully stepped next to me, dunked her head, and came up with another large fish in her mouth before walking away. I was annoyed at how easily she had done it. I couldn't give up though. I repeated the process and lunged my spear down; it came up empty when I pulled it out. I continued to fail for a painfully long time.

My raptor had come back for her sixth fish when I felt a spark. I watched as my raptor dunked her head in the water and came up with yet another fish. My sight had heightened and I finally saw what I was missing. By dunking her head, she reduced the sound and minimized the distance between herself and her target, therefore reducing the amount of time the fish had to react. You would think fish would scatter at the sight of a hungry raptor, but a motionless raptor isn't a danger until it's too late.

With my heightened vision, I dropped my hand in the water and held the spear firmly. After a few moments, a large fish swam in my direction. I remained relaxed as the fish swam around me. Then, when the fish was within centimeters of the spear tip, I thrust forward with a flash of speed. The close proximity made it possible to penetrate the scales of the fish, along with the fifteen percent dinosaur DNA. I wasn't okay with what Rockwell had turned me into, but today, he caught me a fish.

I brought the spear out of the water with one hand under the fish; the weight of the fish would have snapped the spear otherwise. I turned to face Emily, who was giggling with laughter. For the first time in a long time, I felt good about myself. I felt certain that if I could remember this one moment in time when I returned to Earth, I had a good shot at becoming a better man.


	2. Life Will Find a Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Logan begins to tap into his potential as both a hybrid and a survivor, his parenting skills are tested. Emily shares more details of her life before she met Logan. Logan is greeted by an unlikely visitor and later makes a deal with the visitor, who announces that there are more people coming to the Barbarian Lands Ark who don't belong there. Emily also learns that raptors don't enjoy being used for bola practice without a reward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had hoped to have this completed by Christmas Eve, but that wasn't the case. However, I'm happy to say the rough draft of this chapter is done and I hope readers enjoy it.  
> I realize my chapter might be a little bit heavy on dialogue, so I'll try to make future chapters more balanced.

Chapter 2: Life Will Find a Way

Day 8

We'd been here for a week now. I'd made significant progress with Emily, Alice; _our_ raptor, and my future in this Ark. I felt that I'd made the most with what I had. I'm not sure, but I think Rockwell may have somehow boosted my intelligence; everything I did seemed easy now. Don't get me wrong; I know I'm not stupid, but living in the Ark felt like second nature. I'll give you a few examples.

On the first night, I managed to make Emily the cloth armor I had promised. I also had a campfire going with cooked fish on skewers. By the second night, I had built a thatch shed with stone tools and placed a hide sleeping bag inside thanks to the help of Alice's hunting skills. Emily slept in the shed while I slept outside next to Alice, or I would have if I had thought it was safe to do so. On the third night, Emily was sleeping in a bed and I had a storage box to hold the materials I was gathering.

On the fourth night, I passed out after building some tools that would be needed soon for more advanced crafting; this was the first time I slept in the Ark. On the fifth night, I woke in a panic to see that everyone was fine and Alice had been guarding me the whole time, so I went back to sleep. On the sixth day, I began work on a stable for Alice and made saddle bags for the three of us before sleeping again. By the seventh night, the stable was complete with a bed and Emily now possessed a sharp flint knife.

It was day eight and I had spent the whole morning teaching Emily a few basic techniques with her knife. After a week of speaking with her, she finally said don't instead of do not. The girl was nearly accustomed to my twenty percent dino DNA, which was when my eyes glowed purple. From what I could tell, she was comfortable around Alice and me.

In regards to Alice, she was tamed and trained as soon as I hit twenty percent; I did some research and determined that I could tame raptors with twenty percent dino DNA. I wasn't satisfied though with her obeying through fear, so I spent four days retraining her through trust and love. When I woke up on that fifth night, I knew I had succeeded in training Alice properly, otherwise she would have ate me before going after Emily. It was almost as if I could read her thoughts right now.

“Logan, are you okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Your eyes are purple again.” Emily answered uncomfortably.

I looked down at my specimen implant; sure enough, it was glowing purple. Even after a week, this was still a tricky process. I found that it was easier to increase my dino DNA than it was to manually decrease it. I had that feature that would drain dino DNA for me, but I needed to learn how to control my DNA without the feature, otherwise it would quickly overpower my human DNA. I found that using the feature wasn't accurate because my dino DNA would partially recharge.

It seemed that the more intense my concentration became, the more my dino DNA went up. Logically, one would think the solution must be meditation. Sadly, meditation and thieves mixed about as well as fire and gasoline; a good thief would become a good target if they let their guard down.

Nonetheless, I closed my eyes and tried to tune out everything I sensed. I opened my eyes after a few minutes and looked down at Emily. She shook her head. Damn it. I let out a sigh as I purged the dino DNA with the implant feature.

“How about now?”

“Your eyes look normal now.”

“Good.”

Upon checking my balance, it read eighty-five to fifteen.

“What else are we doing today?”

“I need to finish making this mortar and pestle.” I answered, knowing she was bored.

“All I see are a couple of rocks.” Emily said bluntly.

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“Look at the big one though; look at how the center is ground down. When I'm done, this will look like a bowl.”

“How long is it going to take?”

“If I had the machines they use on Earth, I'd be done already. All I have to work with are rocks, so this will take most of the day to finish.”

“What am I supposed to do while you work?”

"What would you do if I weren't working?"

"I don't know." Emily replied after thinking about the question for a minute.

"Go gather some berries and take Alice with you. Try to gather as many narcoberries as you can." I suggested.

"Why do you need narcoberries?"

"Tomorrow I'll be getting started on a bow. I want to use the narcoberries and spoiled meat to make narcotics. I'll dip the arrows in the narcotics and use the arrows to knock out some small creatures."

"I thought you said you could tame small creatures at ten percent."

"I can, but I need to use the dinosaur DNA less so I can control it better."

"So you don't turn into a dinosaur?"

The concept of turning into some hybrid dinosaur seemed appealing at first, but losing my humanity in the process was too steep a price to pay.

"Right."

"Okay. I will get as many berries as I can." Emily said.

She whistled the follow command. Alice glanced over at me and I gave her a nod. Alice followed behind Emily as she went back to her shed and picked up the saddle bag. She went to the stable and nervously picked up Alice's saddle bag. She slowly fastened the saddle bag to Alice's body when she was certain that the raptor wasn't going to eat her. In that moment, I decided that Emily was ready to ride Alice, once I had a saddle made.

I realized my next project was gonna have to be a smithy. No, actually, my next project was gonna be a refining forge so I could get the metal ingots needed to make the smithy. No, I thought with a frustrated sigh, I'll need a solid foundation to place the forge and smithy on. I could see now that I had at least a week worth of work ahead of me before I could make a raptor saddle. That didn't include the extra week I would spend making the bow and arrows.

In the past, all we had to do was gather the materials needed to make the item; after that the items would just appear out of thin air. Back then, you didn't need a smithy to make a raptor saddle. That was nearly a hundred years ago. Now you went through your survival tips and looked at 'blueprints' to craft something. I hadn't needed the survival tips yet, but suspected I would need to take a glance when it came time to work on the saddle.

I ground the rock down for quite some time before it started to look like the small bowl I was going for. The pestle had been completed yesterday after I finished Emily's knife. As it was now, I could grind materials in the rock bowl with relative ease, but I wanted the inner surface to be smoother so I could reduce the loss of materials during the grinding process.

It occurred to me that Emily wasn't back yet and it was getting late. There were probably only a couple of hours of daylight left, so I put my project on hold and began searching the field. I returned to the camp at dark to see Emily sitting next to a lit campfire; I had taught her how to use flint to start a fire on the fourth day. Two had left but I saw three now.

"Who's your friend?" I asked calmly, staring at the mesopithecus on her shoulder.

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"This is Billy, I met him in the-." She stopped suddenly, looking up at me.

"Where did you meet him, Emily?" I knew the answer already.

We agreed on the first day that she wouldn't enter the jungle without my supervision. Alice was a reliable protector, but she would be useless if she ran into a pack of raptors, or something bigger. I had told her that the jungle was dangerous, but she ignored my warning.

"I met him...in the jungle." Emily said after staring at the ground.

"Emily, I told you the jungle's not safe. Why did you go in there?"

"I spotted Billy by the lake and I wanted to tame him, but I had no berries. By the time I had berries to tame him with, it was near the jungle when I found him again. I started taming him, but I had to follow him into the jungle to finish taming him."

"Emily," I paused for a moment because what I was about to say bothered me, "You're lying."

"No I am not!" Emily exclaimed.

"Either you met him at the lake and chased him into the jungle, or you met him in the jungle after choosing to go in there." I said sternly.

Emily sobbed for a few seconds before bursting into tears. When she finally managed to compose herself again, she set the monkey on the ground; we called the mesopithecus a 'monkey' because it looked and acted just like a regular monkey. She started to take off her shirt and I became alarmed.

"Stop! What are you doing?!" I exclaimed.

"Dad made me take off my clothes when he punished me." Emily murmured with hesitation.

"For fuck's sake, I'm not your father! Unless you're bathing in the lake, keep those clothes on! I might consider you as my daughter, but I will never be the fucking monster you were forced to grow up with!" I felt guilty about yelling at her, but I was outraged at the idea of using abuse as a form of punishment.

"Then how do you plan to punish me?" She stammered.

"Emily," I said, making it clear that I was hurt, "I was worried about you. If I wanted to punish you, I would have made up a reason days ago. I thought you understood that I care about you. Everything I'm doing is to keep you safe."

"You really care about me?" Emily asked nervously.

"Of course I do. What do I have to do to prove that I'm not going to hurt you?" I asked softly as I sat down on the other side of the fire.

"Join my tribe." Emily answered after considering the question.

"Join _your_ tribe? Do you even have a tribe?" I asked with an amused smile.

"Of course I do! My tribe is called The Family!" Emily snapped.

"You know how to name your tribe?"

"I looked it up on survival tips while you were busy building stuff!"

"Okay, so who's in your tribe?"

"Billy!"

The monkey climbed back onto her shoulder and hooted at me to prove her point.

"This has got to be one of the silliest things I've ever done, kid." I chuckled before placing my hand on Emily's specimen implant and saying, "Join tribe."

"Logan Lucas, you wish to join the tribe known as The Family, owned by Emily Joy?" Her implant asked, using Emily's voice.

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Some of you are wondering when specimen implants could talk and why they use the host's voice. Well, when the Junior Arks first came out thirty years ago, children were struggling to operate their specimen implants. A student studying computer programming introduced the idea of voice activation for the children's implants. The idea caught on and within five years, it became an optional feature for all specimen implants. Recording software was added to the specimen implant after the first two months, allowing people to replace the voice of Edmund Rockwell with their own. I would have preferred the voice of Helena Walker, personally, but she wasn't the one sharing the consciousness of the Ark matrix, as I had recently come to learn.

"Yes." I said clearly.

"Welcome to the tribe of The Family, Logan Lucas."

"Great; I'm in a tribe with a ten-year-old girl as my leader."

"Specimen Implant, tribe log. Transfer ownership of tribe to Logan Lucas."

"Are you sure you want to transfer ownership of your tribe to new member Logan Lucas?" The implant asked.

"Yes."

My implant flashed. I tapped the implant and scrolled down to the tribe log. I read the notification stating that I was now the tribe owner of The Family.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked her.

"I don't know how to lead a tribe. You would do a better job than I can." Emily answered.

"It's not yours anymore. Doesn't that bother you?"

"No; I named the tribe, so the tribe will always be mine."

"What if I changed the name?" I teased.

"You would never do that!" Emily hissed.

"I'm thinking of something dark to make this tribe sound intimidating." I said thoughtfully.

"Intimidating is like scary, right?"

"Sort of, but not really. Intimidating is like bullying." I tried to explain.

"So intimidating is like picking on others because you can?"

"Sometimes. Usually though, it's a way of telling others that you can't be bullied." I answered.

"Like bullying the bullies?"

"That's a good way to put it." I chuckled.

"What's the new name of our tribe?" Emily asked, the curiosity and excitement twinkling in her eyes.

"I think we'll be called...Billy's Monkeys!"

"What?" She burst out laughing before saying, "That name is a joke!"

"I know. I was joking. I'm not going to change the name." I said with a grin.

"That was evil!" Emily laughed.

"But you feel better, don't you?"

"Yes." Emily smiled as she caught her breath.

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"Good. I want you to be safe and happy, Emily. I don't want you to think that you're still a slave. I will never treat you like a slave, no matter what you do. I can be the father you should have had, if you want me to be."

"I don't think I am ready to call you 'Dad' yet. I am sorry." Emily said nervously.

"I understand. It won't change how I care about you."

I went down to the lake with Alice. I brought a spear I had made on the third day to replace the makeshift spear I had started with. I considered getting Alice to do the fishing for me, but I hadn't managed to drop below fifteen percent and I only needed one fish, provided I could get one of the larger fish. After a few moments, I pulled my spear out of the water; I was now holding a sabertooth salmon that easily came up to Emily's chest.

I walked back to the campsite and cooked about half of the large fish; I gave the other half to Alice. The three of us ate until we couldn't take another bite. We soon went to bed after eating. When I was sure that Emily was sleeping soundly, I closed my eyes and began to drift away into the darkness of unconsciousness. It wasn't long before I awoke in a strange place.

The first thing I should say about this place is that it appeared to be organic. The walls and the ceiling were dark, on occasion the surging of electricity through what I could only describe as organic wires (biology was never my specialty) would illuminate my surroundings, giving off an eerie red glow. Even the ground at my feet felt soft and unstable, as if it were pulsating. It too was a dark red. If I didn't know any better, I would have said I was standing inside a body.

"Welcome to the Ark matrix." A voice called out.

I looked up to see a woman standing before me. This was no ordinary woman though. Her body seemed to phase in and out of my perception until all I could see was a blue outline. There were lines and curves, but no details, with the exception of her face. I knew of only one instance in which something like this happened. It happened on Earth, back when it was called 'Extinction'. A woman interacted with what appeared to be an artifact, but like none witnessed before. Interacting with the artifact slowly claimed her life, but her friend brought her to a chamber. From there, she was able to ascend to a higher plane of existence. That woman was...

"Helena Walker. I'm dreaming, right?" I chuckled.

"Of course. However, I'm real, Logan."

"Then why the hell did I get stuck with Rockwell and not you?"

"Naughty boy, Logan. I've come to give you guidance and all you want to do is sleep with me?" The Australian woman said with a sly grin.

"If you're reading my thoughts, you know that this is a thought I've had since I was twelve." I pointed out.

"All the more reason to show the lady some respect when she decides to grant you an audience." Helena countered.

"My apologies, Miss Walker. What guidance have you come to give me?"

"Although it's true that I don't share the consciousness of the Ark like Rockwell does, I have been given the gift of vision. I've seen you grow up from within the matrix itself."

"Rockwell didn't have a problem with you watching his experiments?" I asked skeptically.

"Actually, Rockwell doesn't know I'm here yet." Helena answered.

" _Yet_?"

"The Ark has left him ignorant to my presence for the time being, but he'll know soon. It doesn't matter though; he doesn't have the knowledge required to hurt me. He doesn't have the knowledge required to control the Ark matrix either. Unless the matrix itself wants to remove me, I'm here to stay."

"That's slightly reassuring. If you've been watching me throughout my life, you should know that there are only two things I worry about right now."

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"Of course. The safety of Emily Joy and the ability to control the cursed DNA that Rockwell has put inside you. Yes, I know what you truly seek. The fact that you're willing to spend eternity in this place to keep her safe is what brought me to you."

"I'm not sure I want to spend eternity in here, Miss Walker."

"Your mind is uncertain, but your heart has no doubts. You will do whatever it takes to keep that girl out of the hands of the men who populate this simulation."

"Well, when you put it that way, damn straight I will." I replied without hesitation.

"In return for your selfless commitment, I will teach you how to balance the DNA in your body."

"What's the secret, Miss Walker?"

"All life is made possible through the Ark. That wasn't always true, but it is now. The Ark is a living being; if you cry out, it won't leave you to suffer."

"I'm an abomination, Miss Walker. How could I be worthy of the Ark's compassion?"

"Because you have a good heart, Logan. As long as you let your heart guide you, the Ark will always keep your humanity intact."

"Rockwell's experiments weren't just overpowered by the dino DNA, were they?"

"No; they lost sight of their humanity long before they were overpowered. They became greedy and kept drawing on their foreign DNA until nothing remained but an unrecognizable shell of what they once were."

"There's no catch or anything? All I have to do is treat the Ark as if it's a god and I'll be safe?" I asked, suspicious now of the simple answer.

"Focus on the girl's happiness and the Ark will do the rest. The more happy memories you can create, the easier it will be to balance the DNA. Remember though, happiness must come from the heart, otherwise it's not real." Helena said calmly.

"Today I formed a happy memory, I hope." I said with a brief pause.

"You did indeed. You've acquired the means to control your dinosaur DNA now."

I woke up suddenly, back in bed in the stable. The sun was starting to rise and Alice had been waiting for me. Although she had no trouble fishing for her meals, she preferred a larger, more challenging meal. So, every morning, I would wake up early and whistle the wandering command. I could usually keep track of her at fifteen percent, but she was beginning to wander further away for her meals.

I began running with her, but it wasn't something I was comfortable with. I didn't like the idea of leaving Emily alone, but if there was one rule that the criminals respected, it was the zero crime policy of the Neutral Zone. As long as we were in here, nobody could hurt us. That rule would only protect us once though; once the inhabitants knew I had the girl, even the Neutral Zone would become a battlefield.

Alice had just made a meal out of an adolescent parasaur. I wasn't comfortable with hunting the larger creatures yet, but I had no trouble distracting or diverting them. The first time I hunted with Alice, I had felt guilty about assisting in the murder of an innocent creature. It later dawned on me that even a predator needed to eat; meat-eating predators, that is. I had come to respect that the prehistoric predators only ate when they were hungry, whereas today's predators ate because they could.

Emily was just waking up when I returned with Alice. She was rubbing her eyes as she closed the door to the shed. Billy looked alert on her shoulder, glancing around and listening carefully for any signs of danger. The monkey called out and pointed in our direction when it noticed us coming down the hill towards the campsite. Alice trotted by Emily and continued down to the lake to clean the blood off of her face.

I sat down and started a campfire. I had two firepits now; one for general use and another specifically for cooking. My cooking firepit was surrounded by a circular wall or rocks that went up about thirty centimeters and had a diameter of twenty-one centimeters. On top of the pit was a large flat rock that acted as the cooking surface. The design and method were both crude but it would get the job done.

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I reached into my saddle bag and pulled out two oval objects. Emily's eyes lit up with excitement as I cracked the eggs onto the flat rock. A small portion of the eggs dripped off the edges of the rock. Well, that's what I get for not putting rocks around the edges. These were dilophosaur eggs that I had found while looking for the herd of parasaurs. This was the first day I had actually managed to find unguarded eggs. I managed to make some decent scrambled eggs using my stone hatchet as a Spatula.

"I know it's not high-quality dining," I said as I slid some of the scrambled eggs on a large flat rock in front of her, "But we finally have something other than fish."

"Thank you, Logan!"

"A couple of eggs are a nice change from the fish we've been eating for a week now, but it might be more satisfying if we had some bacon to go with them."

"You saw pigs?"

"Not exactly. I spotted a phiomia grazing at the southeast edge of the field. I was thinking of hunting it once I had the bow and arrows finished." I explained as I sat down at a rock like Emily's.

"Can I help?"

The question caught me off guard.

"How would you help?" I asked calmly.

"I don't know. I just want to be useful." Emily murmured before taking a bite of her eggs.

"I think it would be better if you stayed here, Emily."

"I want to help!" Emily begged.

"I can't take you with me. However, I have a task for you. If you really want to help me, I'll teach you how to make arrows."

"Really?"

"The work will be hard and slow. You might get bored." I warned.

"I won't give up!" She insisted.

"When I'm done making the bow, we'll gather materials for arrows." I said with a smile.

"Thank you!" Emily grinned as she got up and hugged me.

After two days of ceaseless effort and a good night's sleep, the bow was done and I was ready for the easier part. The three of us ventured to the edge of the jungle to the north. I showed Emily how to spot the best pieces of wood for arrow shafts. She caught on quickly; within three hours we had a hundred potential arrow shafts, all of them long and fairly straight. I taught her how to strip the bark off the shafts.

Next came the part that Emily probably enjoyed the most. I taught her how to make her own arrowhead. By the end of the day, she had made eight functional arrowheads. On the next day, she made twenty more. After three days of making arrowheads, I thought for sure that Emily would get tired of helping me. To my surprise, however, she stuck with the project to the very end.

I had Alice hunt a moschops down by the lake and I set up a third firepit for our new project. It took quite some time to gather the animal fat needed to coat the shafts in. The animal fat kept the shafts from drying out while the heat helped straighten the imperfections by making it pliable. Next came the feathers for fletching the arrows. Alice had kindly hunted three microraptors, two ichthyornis, and a pelagornis in the time since we arrived here.

Then came the part Emily liked the least. Cutting the sinew, or tendons, out of the second moschops that Alice brought back ended up being a messy job, but the material was vital to the project. The sinew, combined with saliva, doubled as both a restraint and an adhesive. I would've preferred thatch, but without a proper container to hold sap, thatch alone wouldn't keep the arrow secure.

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After carving a notch in the bottom of the shaft and a curved notch in the top of the shaft, it was time to assemble the arrows. With a week of hard work, I had a bow, a quiver, and seventy arrows; some of the shafts didn't survive the process. I looked down at Emily with a grin, but when she glanced up at me, she had a look of disgust on her face.

"I hope I never have to put that stuff in my mouth again!" Emily spat.

"We're gonna have to do this all again if you want your own bow."

"I don't even know how to use a bow." Emily pointed out.

"You need to know how to use a bow if you plan to survive in this place." I warned.

"I don't have enough strength to hurt anything with a bow."

"You're thinking about the tough ones, but don't. You'll be able to hurt most of the creatures here. Besides, it's not the dinos you have to worry about."

"You mean the men." She stated.

"Dinos will kill you, but men will keep you alive. You know why."

"Yes."

"That's why I'm going to teach you everything I know."

"What do you mean, 'Everything'?"

"I know I'm going to regret this, but what did your father teach you?"

"I...would rather not say." Emily answered hesitantly.

"Just one thing, then. What was one thing your father taught you?"

"He taught me...how to...flirt with men." Emily struggled to say.

"I'm going to teach you how to kill men." I answered.

"Can you teach me how to be strong when I feel scared?"

"No, but I can teach you how to teach yourself." I answered after a brief silence.

"What?" Emily asked, confused now.

"The strength you're asking for is strength that comes from the heart. I can't make your heart stronger; only you can do that."

"Oh." Emily sounded disappointed now.

"Emily, if you're worried about feeling helpless, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you never feel helpless again." I insisted as I looked her in the eye.

"Thank you, Logan."

"The most important thing you'll need to know is how to get back up when you get knocked down."

"I know how to get up if I fall down; I am not a baby."

"No, I don't mean if you trip or get knocked down, Emily. You know what I mean. When you find yourself back in that place you never want to go back to, you need to know how to have hope and believe that things are going to get better."

Emily's eyes became lifeless now; I could only assume that she was reliving her past nightmares. I grabbed her shoulders and locked eyes with her. I could see the tears streaming down her face. Without thinking, I hugged her.

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"I have an idea of what you've been through, and it hurts me to even think about it. But this is the kind of situation where inner strength will help you. As long as you have faith, hope, and love, you can survive anything."

Emily remained silent for a long time before she spoke.

"You never had a child?"

"No. You're the closest thing to a child that I have." I smiled sadly, realizing with that question just how much of my life I had wasted as a petty criminal.

"You never fell in love?"

"Most kids your age don't even know what love is." I remarked absently.

"I know what love is." Emily said.

"Going to bed with a man you know nothing about isn't love." I scowled.

"I know that. Men who cared about me told me what love is." Emily murmured.

"Okay, what did they tell you?"

"Love is when a man and a woman want to stay together until they die and promise never to leave each other." Emily answered.

"Who told you that?" I asked, intrigued by what I had just heard.

"The men who don't hurt me."

"Well, they're right, for the most part. If they didn't hurt you, why didn't they help you?"

"Do you know who my father is? He kills people for fun." Emily reminded me with a noticeable shiver.

I had forgotten that the pig sometimes did business at his house. Emily had probably witnessed many things she shouldn't have. I was about ready to change the subject, but Emily did so for me.

"You must have had brothers and sisters, then."

"No. I was the only child in my family." I frowned.

"I don't get it. How is it that you can treat me so well even though you are a criminal?"

"Thanks, for the compliment, kid." I said sarcastically before continuing, "I might be a criminal, but I like to think I've got a good heart. It bothers me to see people suffer."

"Why steal from people then? If you asked, the Colony would help, right?"

"My old man taught me that depending on others makes you look weak. He said you have to take care of yourself to be strong." I answered with a sigh.

"You believe that?" Emily asked nervously.

"I believe that it's true for me, but not for you." I replied after thinking about the question for a few seconds.

"Why not?"

"It's kind of hard to explain, Emily. Imagine that you have three sisters and you all get sent to the same orphanage. Your sisters all get adopted by the same family, but you get left behind. Now, how would you feel?"

"Sad, mad, confused..." Emily trailed off.

"Would you want to trust others after that?"

"No. Is that what happened to you, Logan?"

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"No."

"Then why did you steal from people?" Emily asked again.

"I ran away from home when I was sixteen." I said while staring up at the artificial sky.

"Why?"

"I wasn't happy at home. My parents were good people, but I didn't like their rules. I got into a fight with my old man and found myself on the streets. After a couple of days, I was hungry, thirsty, and tired. So, I started stealing." I explained.

"Do you miss them?" Emily asked suddenly.

"Yeah, kid, I miss them." I paused before saying, "Do you wanna learn something new?"

"Like what?" Emily asked curiously.

"I was thinking I could teach you how to make and use a bola."

"Oh...okay." Emily said hesitantly.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"My father used to use bolas on me outside."

"Bastard!" I muttered under my breath, then said, "Bolas are intended for the use of capturing or hunting creatures _other_ than people. In the Arks, a bola could save your life."

"Okay."

Thankfully, we had all the materials needed to make bolas. After a few failed attempts, Emily had a functional bola. I'll admit it; my first attempt didn't come out to great either. I convinced Alice to be our volunteer test dummy, but it came at a price, which I will explain later. After throwing seven of our nine bolas at the stationery raptor, she finally managed to wrap around her legs.

Emily ran around and laughed at Alice, occasionally making faces at the loyal predator. It was as if she had forgotten that the raptor would gladly eat her in just about any other situation. The raptor stared at her calmly, or whatever passed as 'calm' for a raptor, but I knew Alice was annoyed with the girl. Emily didn't realize that I made Alice a promise before removing the bola from her legs. Alice growled and hissed at Emily, who jumped back in surprise, but Alice left her alone after that.

We went out to the edge of the jungle and filled our saddle bags with berries to restock our food store; with the addition of Billy, we had an extra mouth to feed. Billy relied almost entirely on fruit, along with the occasional cashew, so our supply of berries depleted fairly quickly between the monkey's appetite and the spoiling rate. We dumped the berries into a box I had made while working on the bow.

Alice carried back a juvenile phiomia and I managed to find terror bird eggs (though they didn't normally live in this region). I carved and cleaned the phiomia before cooking thin strips of fatty meat on the flat rock that acted as my oven. I cooked the eggs shortly after and we enjoyed the upgrade to our meal. Emily thanked me for the food, but my mind had wandered to an ongoing issue I needed to address.

As I watched Alice eat the rest of the phiomia, I realized that I needed some kind of refrigeration system to store the meat I was gathering. With the materials I had to work with, a preserving bin was probably my best bet. I had managed to finish smoothing out the mortar and pestle, so I'd be able to make sparkpowder now. For anyone who doesn't know, the preserving bin has no use without sparkpowder. That project would have to wait though.

The day progressed without anymore awkward conversations, to my relief. We even managed to get a few laughs in, thanks to Billy. Leave it to a monkey to cheer you up; they'll never let you down. At the end of the day, we went to bed. The fire that had been burning was no more than a glowing pile of coals now when I fell asleep. I awoke in that strange place again.

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"You called me?" Helena asked, standing before me.

"Not exactly, but I have a request for you."

"My answer is...I don't know." Helena paused before sighing.

"Have you seen her life?"

"No, but I've seen her nightmares. I'm horrified that such a monster could exist in today's world."

"Then you know why I make this request. Is there nothing you can do for her?" I asked, concerned now.

"I cannot promise that she will avoid the dangers of this Ark. Even with the modifications Rockwell has made to you, the chances of Emily being enslaved again are high."

"You speak to me in my dreams; is it possible to put her in a dream?"

"What exactly are you asking?" Helena asked suspiciously.

"Could you put Emily in a dissociative state during traumatic events, specifically sexual trauma?" I asked, trying to be delicate.

"Are you asking me to remove a child from reality so she doesn't have to suffer? If that's the case, I'd have to say that as a woman, I'm insulted."

"What do you propose then? I know how to kill a man, two men, _maybe_ three men; I can't kill fifty men. Benson will share her with the whole tribe without a second thought."

"How will she rise above this if she doesn't face it head on?" Helena demanded.

"Miss Walker, you're an accomplished scientist. You know that there are always risks with any choice you make. What if you knew you were going to be enslaved by a tribe of fifty predators? Even at almost thirty, you couldn't survive that. How could a child hope to do better than you could without your help?"

"I stopped aging at twenty, thank you very much. I see your point, but if you could feel the way we feel, you would understand why she would be stronger without my interference."

"That's just it, Helena. She stopped aging just like you. You're the scientist, so correct me if I'm wrong, but if her brain stops developing too, she'll never feel the way you feel. Like I told Emily, I can teach her how to teach herself to be strong, but only she can find that strength. If her mind remains as ageless as her body, she will always be a fragile child."

"You are...correct." Helena sighed before saying, "Fine, if this is to be my duty, I will do so without fail. I will devote myself to Emily's well-being in times of such peril. However,"

"Of course there would be a catch." I muttered.

"However, I will only do this if it is what Emily wishes. That seems quite fair to me, Logan."

"Alright then, I trust you'll visit her dreams as you've visited mine." I said, uncertain as to whether she would keep her word or not.

"That won't be necessary; she's already here." Helena said pointing over my shoulder.

Emily slowly approached us. She was dressed in the undershirt and underwear that I had seen her wearing when we first met. I could tell that she was scared, in spite of the fact that she put on a brave face. Helena knew this as well. She beckoned Emily to step forward. Once she was within reach, Helena gently put her hands on Emily's shoulders and dropped to her knees.

"Emily, did you hear everything we said?"

"Yes, Miss Walker."

"You can call me Helena, Emily."

"Yes, Miss Helena." Emily smiled nervously.

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"How do you feel about this, Emily? Do you want me to shield you from the suffering that may and probably will find you?" Helena asked, rolling her eyes at 'Miss Helena'.

"You said you have seen my nightmares, Miss Helena?" Emily asked.

"Yes, I've seen your nightmares." Helena answered hesitantly.

"Did you know that all of those nightmares really happened?"

"I knew some of them were real, but all of them? That's unthinkable." Helena stammered.

"All of them." Emily said softly as a single tear started to fall from an eye.

"I will be with you when they hurt you. I can make the pain go away, but I can't stop these things from happening. You'll still be left with the memories, even if you're not there to witness them."

"I understand, Miss Helena. Please help me; I don't want to be alone with my father, or any other man who wants to hurt me!" Emily sobbed before hugging Helena.

"I promise you'll never be alone among those monsters, Emily." Helena stood up and looked sternly at me before saying, "As for you! If you're not dead, I expect you to stay by her side whenever possible."

"Of course, Miss Walker. I consider Emily to be my daughter; I will do everything a father would do for his child." I promised.

Emily vanished; probably returned to her own dreams.

"Don't let this responsibility overwhelm you, Logan. You won't be alone for long." Helena smiled.

"What do you mean?" I asked; I wasn't sure if I was going to like her response.

"Logan," Helena paused for a moment, "Things are changing. Emily is the first of many who won't belong here. There are some good people in this Ark, but you're the one who will offer shelter to the lost, the frightened, the confused; simply put, you will save the innocent."

"Don't tell me I'm gonna run an orphanage or something." I scowled.

"More children will arrive, but as I stated before, you won't be alone. Both men and women will join your cause, and..." Helena trailed off suddenly.

"And what, Miss Walker?"

"Understand, Logan, I worked hard to make this happen. I don't know when she's coming; I don't even know if she'll make it to you. It's a miracle that I was able to bring her back at all." Helena rambled.

"Helena," I said sternly, waiting for her to look at me before asking, "What do I need to know?"

"There is a woman who will enter the Ark soon. She was once an accomplished scientist that worked for the group you know as Arkadia Industries. To anyone on Earth who witnessed the event, she died in an accident. However, the Ark saved her consciousness. I managed to direct her consciousness here after we met the first time. If you can find her, she will keep you centered. She was also a mother of three before she was stored in the Ark."

"So, you're saying that if Emily is my daughter, this woman could be my wife?" I asked slowly.

"At the very least, she could be a mother to Emily."

"What's her name?"

"Melinda Newton."

I sat up in my bed after waking from the dream. Emily was standing at the foot of my bed. She was indeed standing in her undershirt and underwear.

"Seriously, kid? I told you to keep your clothes on." I snapped.

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"Really? What are you wearing?!" Emily exclaimed.

It never occurred to me that I had spoken to Helena Walker in nothing but my boxers twice now. She had been stuck in the Ark for decades, if not centuries now. I doubt a higher being could be turned on by a primitive concept like sex appeal.

"Whatever. Get some sleep. I'm gonna tame you another friend tomorrow." I said as I laid back in bed.

"Yay. I am going back to bed." Emily said tiredly.

I rolled onto my side and closed my eyes.

"Logan?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"Thank you for protecting me." Emily said, not hiding the meekness in her voice.

"You deserve no less, Emily." I smiled.

I awoke at dawn to begin making the narcotics. I let Alice go on her own hunts now, so I whistled the wander command. Alice would always come back after a successful hunt, so I didn't have to worry about losing her. By the time Alice had returned with her prize, an adolescent sabertooth, I had a small portion of spoiled meat ground up into a paste and was adding the narcoberries to the mix.

By noontime, I had thirty arrows covered with narcotic paste. We had a light meal of berries and cashews (thanks to the gathering skills of Billy). We both had waterskins now, so we didn't have to worry about immediate dehydration while we were out scouting for members to add to our tribe. After a couple of hours, I found what I was looking for. We were at the Eastern border of the field when a dilophosaur came out of the jungle. Emily looked up at me fearfully, but I smiled at her.

"This is one of those times when you can find inner strength to face your fear."

"What do I do?" Emily asked nervously.

"I asked you to bring the bolas for a reason. When the dilo gets close, aim at it's legs. If you do it right, the dilo won't be able to move and I'll be able to knock it out."

The dilo was a mixture of tan and dark purple; the purple was definitely a mutation. It stood at about one meter high, three meters long, and weighed just under two hundred kilograms. It spotted us. I whistled the passive command on Alice; she stood in place as the dilo charged forward.

"Now!" I shouted.

Emily whirled the bola above her head before throwing it at the small predator. The first bola went over its head. She quickly grabbed the next bola and repeated the process. The second bola bounced off the chest. She finally stopped the dilophosaur's momentum with the third bola. It was within ten meters of us now. I put five arrows into its body in rapid succession before it collapsed to the ground. I glanced intently at the body until I could confirm that it was still breathing.

Alice suddenly pounced on the dilophosaur and began ripping its throat apart until the body lay motionless. Alice glared at me before she resumed eating the now dead dinosaur. This is the price I spoke of earlier when Emily had used the raptor for bola practice.

"You stupid raptor! I hate you!"

Alice ignored Emily and continued to eat the dilophosaur until the bushes ahead of us rustled. Two more dilophosaurs stepped out of the jungle. I whistled the passive command twice this time and Alice stood in place. I grabbed Emily's hand and ran in front of Alice, coming between the two dilophosaurs and the dead body they intended to harvest. I started putting arrows into the dilophosaurs before they charged at us. When all was said and done, I was down to seven narcotic arrows, there were two unconscious dilos on the ground, and I was feeding them the meat of their fellow dilo.

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Emily apologized to Alice and thanked her for killing the first dilo because we had no meat to tame it with after knocking it out, but the first dilo was more than enough to feed the other two. The more I thought about it, the more that ancient man's words made sense to me. I think he was in one of those works of entertainment called 'movies', but that didn't matter. His words did: Life will find a way.


	3. Even A Broken Heart Survives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tribe of Broken Hearts is a group of men who couldn't handle being rejected by the ones they loved and took things too far. As they endure their exile in this brutal Ark, they slowly learn to accept that rejection is sometimes inevitable and one must be able to move on peacefully from the unfortunate outcome. However, the tribe must also endure an awkward situation that is unlikely to change; their leader's righthand man is the only woman in the tribe and she's not quick to trust men. If the men can accept that, they will overcome the pain of rejection and return home. If not, the tribe will take a darker turn and may never see Earth again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone who has been waiting for this chapter: My apologies for the delay, but I had a bit of writer's block and got carried away with a YouTube marathon of Syntac Ark videos. I've decided to take a slightly different approach and plan on introducing most of the tribes in chapters 3-9. I will save two tribes for later in the story as one is the Alpha tribe and the other is the greatest threat in the Barbarian Lands Ark.  
> 

Chapter 3: Even A Broken Heart Survives

Day 126 of the Broken Hearts Tribe

-

Ever wonder what it would be like to join a group of guys who were rejected by the ones they loved? Or what would happen to those guys if they took things too far? Obviously, they would get sent to an Ark; but what if they took things so far that their acts were considered unforgivable? Well, that would give birth to the Tribe of Broken Hearts in the Barbarian Lands Ark.

Our tribe has worked hard to get where we are. Our territory borders the majority of the Redwoods territory. Our village lays between the Gloomy Valley and the Lake of Tears. We're surrounded by jungle, but our village is built above the ground, keeping us safe from most predators. Every foundation, pillar, wall, ceiling, and ladder was put up with the blood and sweat of our people. The blood and sweat of _my_ people; I rule the Tribe of Broken Hearts.

My name is Oliver Davis. At the age of fifteen, I fell madly in love with a girl. I would think about her all day, but it took me ten years to find the courage to tell her. On the day I told her, she laughed at me and said I was a loser. I walked away, at first. She married another man just days after my rejection; if she had said she was engaged it would have been less painful, in my opinion. A little over a year later, she had her first and only child, as far as I know. The jerk divorced her when he realized the responsibilities he would have as a father. I still loved her though, so I offered to help raise her child with her. That was the beginning of the end for me.

For the next ten years of my life, I would give the woman I loved everything I had and never gain anything from the endeavor. The woman gave me a false sense of hope and destroyed it just to see me suffer. Her daughter was no different, she just went about hurting me in a simpler way. Every day, starting at the age of five, she would tell me I wasn't good enough for her mother and never would be. To combat this, I started drinking. I shrugged their blows off and held onto my civility for another four years. Eventually though, the drinking destroyed me and I threw a nine-year-old girl, wrapped in a towel, out of a third story window.

At this point, you think I'm unworthy of drawing another breath; I can't say I blame you, but I'd like to clarify two things. Firstly, I'm not a child predator; the girl came out of the shower, walked up to me and said, "I bet you wish you could see more when Mom comes out of the shower, but you're a sad loser who will never see more than a towel." I was drunk and too far gone, so I chucked her out the opened window. Secondly, she's alive. Most public buildings had Tek teleportation fields to pull people out of traumatic and fatal situations. This included falling from great heights. The teleportation fields were designed shortly after the wars ended. She went out the window with a towel and was teleported to the nearest hospital without it.

The Judicial Department, which doubles as police officers and judges, showed up half an hour later to arrest me. The girl told nurses, doctors, and judicial officers horrifying lies about me, so I was marked as an 'Unforgivable' and sentenced to twenty years in the Barbarian Lands Ark. Most criminals go through a process of reform and rehabilitation, then they're released from the Ark; this wasn't the case with me. I was a brutal, heartless criminal that would endure twenty years of this hell before I could begin my rehabilitation. Don't misunderstand me; I'm not looking for anyone's pity, I just wanted to set the record straight.

There were forty-eight others who ended up here for similar reasons. Some of them decided to senselessly beat the ones they loved in rage, some beat them for too long and will never see them again, others carefully planned the departure of the ones they could never have, and still there were a few who forced their love on others to ensure they were never forgotten. All of these men shared the same pain of rejection as I did and all of these men failed to handle their rejection in a safe manner. There was one exception, however. There was one criminal who didn't share the same story as us. Hers was worse.

"Oliver, your dogs are getting hungry again and I have no intention of feeding them." The woman scowled as she walked up to me, joining me on one of the bridges that overlooked the jungle floor from six meters high.

Kate Ash was a beautiful woman; she was about one point seven meters tall and weighed fifty-nine kilos, according to our doctor. Her build was muscular and curvy, like many of the uncaptured women in the Ark, but this wasn't always the case. She had dark blue eyes and long bright red hair. She wore a set of green hide armor and a belt carrying an old gun called a revolver and an ancient sword from the early dark ages.

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"You're fully aware of what brought this tribe together, Kate. You can't ask us to simply overlook your presence, especially as my next in command." I told the woman calmly.

"Right now, your men are dogs in my eyes; if they continue to sexually harass me, they will become slaughtered pigs." She warned, locking eyes with me now.

"Fine, Kate, I'll tell them to back off." I sighed before adding, "You knew this wasn't going to be easy when I rescued you."

"I never asked to be rescued, Oliver. All you had to do was walk away and let me suffer. Instead, you brought me into a tribe full of men who either want to kill me or fuck me."

"Do you want to go back, then?" I asked somewhat angrily.

"Are you threatening me now? I won't be scared by the likes of you."

"That's why I chose you to lead in the event of my absence. You'll do what you must to protect yourself and this tribe, no matter the cost."

"Who's side are you on, Oliver? Mine or theirs?"

"I will defend you with my last dying breath, Kate. Just know that there are some things that I can't change, such as my tribe's opinion of you, for instance."

"Plenty of pigs and dogs have made that promise. None of them actually honored the promise." Kate scoffed.

"So what am I then? Am I a dog, a pig, or something worse?" I asked, fighting the urge to lash out at her.

"I've spent my life studying the people around me, Oliver Davis. Sometimes it takes a while to figure them out, but I always discover their true intentions. Yours," Kate paused before looking away, "Remain to be discovered."

As she walked away, one of my men approached me. He stared at her until she was out of sight. When I turned to face him, he had a sly grin on his face.

The man was tall and muscular; easily two meters tall and a hundred kilos. He had short blonde hair and dark orange eyes. He wore nothing but the pair of boxers he had spawned with. Some of the men joked that he was a supermodel.

"Oliver, it wouldn't be hard to make her your bitch." The man chuckled.

"Nicholas, that is one of the least intelligent things I've heard you say." I responded coldly.

"There's no need to be a gentleman! All men have...certain needs. Normally, they're fulfilled with a willing partner, but in extreme circumstances, I see no harm in taking what you need." Nicholas growled.

"Is that so?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at the stupidity of this suggestion.

Nicholas Harris was, without a doubt, the worst of us. I won't go into the finer details of his criminal history, but I will say this; he didn't kill anyone and he didn't settle for just the mother. I often caught myself thinking of all the different ways I could kill him when he spoke to me. It didn't help that he used to be a member with Dirty Pigs.

"She used to be everyone's favorite girl with the Dirty Pigs. I don't see why it has to be any different here." Nicholas grinned.

Women couldn't give birth in the Arks, but all of our other body functions carried out as usual, including arousal. I found myself reaching for the fabricated pistol in my hide pants after noticing the bulge in his boxers. He looked at me dumbly when the cold barrel of my gun rested on his forehead.

"What the fuck?"

"I'm sorry, Nicholas, but this isn't going to work out." I sighed before pulling the trigger.

His blood splattered against the bridge as his body thudded against the wooden surface. My tribe quickly gathered around me as I holstered my pistol. Kate was the last of them to arrive. There was one who never showed up, but I doubt he would be surprised by what had just happened. One of the men stood next to me and stared down at the dead body before speaking.

"Was that really necessary, Oliver?"

Page 3

"Yes, Lee; it was quite necessary. The man threatened to undermine everything we stand for." I answered calmly.

"What could he have done that would have undermined this tribe?" Another man asked.

"All of you came to me with the desire to become better people. You all made costly mistakes that put you in this place. You all told me that you regretted your actions and would have taken those actions back if you could. All of you, all of _us_ , agreed that not only would we accept the pain of rejection, but we would also respect those who reject us. So then, does it make sense to have a slave in our tribe? Shall we pass around the whore?"

Kate was red in the face with anger, but I focused my attention on the men before me.

"Let me make something clear, gentlemen. No woman, including Kate Ash, will ever serve our tribe as a helpless slave to amuse our desires. Furthermore, if I catch any of you conspiring to do such a thing," I paused and casually kicked the body of the bridge, waiting for it to thud to the ground before saying, "You will suffer the same fate as he did. Understood?"

The men all murmured and nodded their heads.

"Good. Now if someone other than Kate would be so kind as to clean up this mess, I would be most appreciative. Kate, please join me in the tower."

A young man named Sean began cleaning the blood up with water and a hide rag as Kate followed me up a ladder inside of a tower. Sean was a good kid, but his father had taught him that violence was the answer to every problem. When a girl humiliated him, he sent her to the hospital with all her limbs broken. He cried uncontrollably and begged for forgiveness as they forced him into that sedation pod, I'm told. I met him at the northern border of my territory three weeks ago, huddled in a tree trunk scared out of his mind.

"You have no problem with letting a child clean up the blood of a dead body?" Kate asked from below me.

"Sean is a man, just like the rest of us. He knew what he was getting into when he joined us." I replied as I continued to climb.

"You say that, but Sean is a scared child who'll never finish growing up." Kate countered.

I stopped climbing and looked down briefly as I asked, "What do you propose we do with him then? Age has no meaning when you're running from a hungry rex. Whether he be eighteen or eighty, he'll need to have the same mindset as the rest of us to survive."

"Surviving isn't enough; the boy needs to live."

"Falling in love is about the only thing we can't do here. Unless you'd like to be his lover, he's living as much as he can." I remarked.

"Asshole." Kate muttered.

"Perhaps, but am I wrong?" I asked calmly; I'm not one to lose my temper easily.

"I think you've been in this jungle too damn long to remember what it means to live." Kate scowled.

"You may be right." I agreed after a long silence.

We finally reached the top of the tower, where we were greeted by blue sky and sunlight, or we would have been, if this hadn't been a holographic simulation. Nonetheless, I admired the beauty around me as I stepped onto a balcony. At the top of the tower were four connected balconies which completed a square. Another man was on the opposite side of the tower with his back to me.

The man was a few centimeters taller than me, about one point eight meters tall, and weighed seventy-nine point three kilos. He had long sandy brown hair in a ponytail and dark green eyes. He wore a set of flak armor and carried a sword like Kate's. He was twelve years my elder (I'm thirty-nine, for the record) but nearly matched me for strength and endurance. I knew all of this without looking at the man because the man was my best friend.

"What happened down there?" The man asked.

Page 4

"Nicholas made his last mistake. I killed him and removed him from the tribe." I answered as Kate stood on another balcony.

"What happened this time? Did he make a move on you?" The man sneered.

"Funny, Jonas. I thought he preferred older men." I countered.

"Touché. I'm betting it had something to do with our second in command." The man said with a more serious note.

"He was suggesting we operate like Dirty Pigs and feed off Kate whenever the 'need' arises." I scowled.

"That alone wouldn't push you over the edge, Oliver."

"The guy had a shameless boner, Jonas." I said coldly.

"It's happened to all of us. We have indecent thoughts and feed off them, but that doesn't mean we act on them." Jonas pointed out.

"Because we have shame and guilt to remind us that those thoughts are sickening and should be ignored. Nicholas had neither. He was determined to make his suggestion a reality."

"You have evidence to support this claim?" Jonas asked.

"Jonas, do the men talk about me?" Kate asked suddenly.

"Of course; it's hard not to when there's only one woman in the tribe. To be rather honest, even I have thoughts about you." Jonas replied hesitantly.

"And how many of them regret the thoughts they have? Do they apologize when they realize they're in the wrong?"

"Not lately, now that you mention it. Sean is the only one who seems uncomfortable with the thoughts he has about you."

"Oh, is that so?" Kate asked with an amused chuckle.

"Perfectly normal for a developing man." Jonas smiled.

"Nicholas was poisoning the minds of my men, Jonas. He was going behind my back and telling them to embrace their fantasies; that's the way it looks, doesn't it?"

"Yes, Oliver, I see your point. Have you considered the consequences though? What if he goes back to Dirty Pigs and gives our village away?" Jonas asked with a tone of concern.

"That's not likely to happen anytime soon. Benson is waiting for the arrival of his daughter, according to Kate." I answered with a shudder.

"The girl that was locked away in his house?"

"Jonas, this girl was reduced to a slave. At the age of ten, her education was lower than the average six-year-old. She didn't even have a proper name when she lived with him."

"What did he call her, then?" Jonas asked slowly.

"Joy Toy." Kate answered painfully after a long silence.

"How does he plan to get her into the Barbarian Lands Ark if it's illegal to put anyone under the age of eighteen in this place?"

"Levi Benson was probably the most powerful criminal in the Colony, Jonas. If he's even half the monster he's supposed to be, he would have found a way to take her with him in the event that he got caught."

"How was he caught?"

"A guy named Henry Williams snitched on him." I answered with a snort.

"Surely Levi had friends in the Judicial Department? How did this Henry Williams bypass them?" Kate asked.

"Rumor has it that he cut a deal with the crooked officers. Simply put, in addition to his silence regarding their illegal activities, he offered to forfeit his life in exchange for the freedom of the girl and the arrest of Levi Benson." I answered.

Page 5

"So the guy gave up his life for nothing if the girl's in here with us." Kate said angrily.

"Every tribe has orders to kill him on site." I replied.

"And if we spot him?" Jonas asked.

"Give him a quick and painless death." I murmured.

"Why did you bring me up here, Oliver?" Kate asked.

"The tribe has become unstable. I don't know if I can restore balance to Broken Hearts on my own. I need both of you to pull this off."

"How can I help if I'm the problem?" Kate asked with a puzzled look.

"Up until now, I've kept the tribe together without bloodshed. However, with the death of Nicholas, words won't be enough anymore."

"You're not suggesting what I think you are, are you, Oliver Davis?"

Jonas only used my full name when he strongly disagreed with me.

"If they slap your ass, cut off their hands. If they rip off your clothes, rip out their eyes. If they rape you, _I_ will cut off their dicks. Yes, Jonas, I'm saying if words fail, use whatever force is necessary to get the point across."

"If we do this, there won't be a tribe left to save." Jonas warned.

"As much as I like the idea of killing a few pigs, Jonas is right." Kate sighed.

"The tribe may shrink considerably, but it's time they realized the purpose of my tribe isn't to live out their fantasies. If they don't wish to rehabilitate themselves, they've come to the wrong place." I said firmly.

"Surely you don't expect me to be ripping out eyes and cutting off dicks, do you?" Jonas asked, finally turning to face me.

I turned to face the others as well. We all shared the same blank faces as we looked into each other's eyes. We knew that what happened next would forever change my tribe, _our_ tribe, and how it changed would determine our fates.

"Offer support like you have been; if we can avoid violence, we should. If we cannot, be ready to help her in any way necessary. I doubt either of you will be fond of the idea, but you will act as her bodyguard in the event that she can't defend herself."

"Do I look like I need a bodyguard, Davis?" Kate spat with a glare.

"Against forty-six men? You might." Jonas pointed out innocently.

"Fine. Let's get this over with." Kate scowled.

"Come, Jonas; it's time to stir the pot." I said after a brief silence.

The three of us climbed down the ladder. I called for the tribe and we met at the pteranodon landing pad on the second level. I made my intentions clear to every man who stood before me and waited to see their reactions. They remained silent and motionless for some time. The outcome I had been fearing began to play out.

"Fuck you, Oliver! I won't follow the leadership of a pussy, figuratively or literally! I'm out!" A man said before walking away.

Freddy Maxwell. The guy killed a twenty-year-old woman and her parents when she rejected his marriage proposal. He hadn't been predator material before he met Nicholas Harris, but Nicholas brought the poison of Dirty Pigs with him and many of my men now had the urge to see people suffer. Freddy was a man beyond reason now and the fact that it was Nicholas I had shot and not him was nothing short of a miracle.

"I can't do this anymore, Oliver. You're a good man with a good idea, but I can't rehabilitate myself while serving under a woman who hates what I represent." Another man, Daniel Green, said hesitantly.

Page 6

Daniel Green was a murderer, but he was a good man, in my opinion. His story wasn't so different from mine; he loved a girl, got humiliated, helped raise her children, and pushed her off a cliff during a hiking trip with her children. He said he didn't speak another word before he ended up in the Ark. I'm inclined to believe him, considering it was a month before he spoke to anyone in the tribe.

"Where will you go, Daniel? Even when Nicholas was here, I didn't see you as the type to take pleasure from other people's pain."

"There are a few tribes I could join. Lost Wolves will take anyone."

"Lead by a woman, Daniel. She's not fond of men either, by the way." Kate said sternly.

"Kate's right; Jackie Jones and Kate served together as slaves of Dirty Pigs." I acknowledged with a nod.

"Maybe the Tragic Rejects then." Daniel said lazily.

"They wouldn't take a cold-blooded killer." Jonas spoke up this time.

"Well then, that leaves me with the Shadow Raptors, I guess."

"Sure, Shadow Raptors would take you, but they live to kill. Could you get used to a life like that?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"Damn it, I've got to go somewhere and I can't stay here! I don't have the strength to endure this suffering!" Daniel exclaimed before hanging his head down in shame.

"I see now that promoting Kate was a mistake, as far as your well-being is concerned, Daniel. However, I couldn't stand to see her suffer and this was the only way I could think of saving her. Would I have done things differently if I knew this would be the outcome? I don't know, Daniel. I won't undo everything I've done to save this woman though. If you must go, I wish you luck and hope you find peace with yourself."

Daniel slowly turned his back on me and walked away. I could tell that he felt betrayed by me. I watched him raise his wrist up and tap the implant. A moment later, I received the notification that Daniel had left the tribe. I looked up at the crowd.

"Who else wants out?" I asked, struggling to maintain my composure.

"Sorry, Oliver, but reuniting Levi Benson with his daughter sounds far more entertaining than serving under a man who can't enjoy a little non-consensual slavery." A short, muscular man chuckled.

Greggory Ericson; a man who never needed any manipulation from Nicholas Harris, or Dirty Pigs for that matter. I won't go into detail regarding his crimes, but the mother is dead and her twin daughters wish they were too. This man was the only Unforgiven in my tribe; I knew from day one that he was never going to last with Broken Hearts.

"You disgust me, Greggory. Get the hell out of here before I blow your fucking brains out!" Kate snarled.

"I don't think I could've put it better myself." Jonas nodded.

"Nor I." I agreed.

"Later, losers!" Greggory grinned as he walked away.

In total, I lost seventeen men on that day. Most of them were good men, but as expected, the worst of my men were among the first to leave. No more sick, twisted sexual predators remained in my tribe. I gave every man the chance to redeem himself, but the ones who resorted to sexual violence were always the hardest to save, so I felt a great burden lifted from me when all seven of them left. I couldn't say the Ark was a safer place with them free to do as they pleased, but I wouldn't let anyone suffer the fate of Kate Ash as long as I drew breath.

"For everyone who has chosen to remain here, let me remind you of what you're agreeing to. You will work hard to rehabilitate yourselves, you will respect your second in command, you will act as a gentleman would in the presence of a woman, and you will protect children with your lives, though I doubt you'll ever see one."

Page 7

"We see one everyday!" One of the men laughed as he pointed at Sean.

The men all laughed at Sean's expense, but he took it like a man, I daresay.

"All joking aside though, you know what our expectations are and what the consequences may be if you stray from them. As long as you're trying to ascend, both as a survivor and a person, we will offer any help we can. We're not slave masters and we're not prison wardens; we're lost souls, just like you. Let's work together to become the people we want to be. That's all." I concluded with a smile; I didn't often have cheerful modes compared to others, but felt it was necessary at this moment.

"I'm going to get cleaned up." Kate said before walking away.

"Be careful." I said.

"I know how to fight a pack of raptors."

"In the nude?" Jonas asked with a grin.

"You might be surprised at what I can do, pig." Kate whispered in his ear.

"Okay, I deserve that." Jonas sighed as she walked away.

"Jonas, my friend, that was quite out of character for you." I pointed out.

"Every once in a while you have to have a little fun, or else you go mad." Jonas chuckled.

At this point, I decided to look for Sean. Being a man, I was curious as to what thoughts were going through the young man's mind. I also wanted to dissuade him from pursuing a relationship with Kate. I wasn't sure how he would react when Kate humiliated him. In fact, I wasn't sure if he would survive the ordeal in the event that it didn't go favorably for him, which I knew it wouldn't. I searched the village for some time before giving up. I returned to the faded blood stain on the bridge. I was surprised to find Jonas there.

"What are you doing here, Jonas?" I asked with a frown.

"Waiting for Kate to come back. I won't be able to protect her from the tower, so I figured I should stay close." Jonas shrugged.

"Fair enough. Have you seen Sean?"

"Not since the tribe meeting."

"I was wondering how worried I should be about Sean. His thoughts aren't disturbing, are they?"

"No! God, no! His thoughts are the thoughts of an ordinary teenage boy." Jonas laughed.

"They wouldn't include wanting to see a naked woman, would they?" I asked suddenly.

"Actually, yeah." Jonas paused briefly before starting "You don't think-?"

There was a feminine scream followed by the sound of gunshots.

I slid down the nearest ladder with Jonas right behind me. Once we hit the bottom we raced through the jungle, following a path of standing torches. This path lead to a small waterfall that everyone used to shower in, including Kate and Sean. Knowing my luck, I was going to show up to find Sean dead with a bullet in his head and depending on her mental state, may suffer the same fate he did. In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess.

When we reached the end of the path, I was relieved, turned on, and terrified at the same time. I was relieved to see that Sean was very much alive; he stood frozen less than a meter from a tree which had a bullet hole at forehead level. If you can't understand why an attractive naked woman with shaved privates (I have great respect for Kate Ash, but there are some things a man cannot control) wearing a hide belt with a sheathed sword and a loaded gun in her hand would turn me on, you're not human. I was terrified because she had just finished reloading the gun from an oversized pouch that held way too many bullets.

Page 8

"Get your ass down, Kid!" Jonas shouted as he pulled Sean behind the tree.

It took me a few seconds to realize that I had been staring at her modest B-cup breasts for too long. I found myself staring into the barrel of her revolver as she glared at me. I locked eyes pleadingly with her, but there would be no reasoning with her. Even at a distance of six meters, I was an open target. I dived out of the way and rolled on the ground as she emptied the clip in my direction. One of the bullets burnt across my forehead, grazing the skin; how the hell she made a shot like that both puzzled and scared the hell out of me. I stood to my feet with my hands in the air as I addressed the angry woman.

"Kate! Wait! This is all an innocent misunderstanding!" I shouted.

"I'll turn myself in, if that'll make you happy." Sean said, sticking his head out from behind the tree.

Kate took a shot with the one bullet she had loaded; Jonas yanked him back and the bullet went into a tree behind them.

"Get your ass out here so I can blow your brains out, kid!" Kate yelled.

"Listen to yourself, Kate! You're demanding that a child be sentenced to death for being a curious child! Does that make any sense?"

"He's a man; you said so yourself! A man should face the consequences of his actions, and so should you!"

"Fine, Kate; if you want to take my life, I won't stop you! Our tribe may not understand your reasoning, but I do. Just consider this; a teenage boy followed you here and probably hid. You didn't spot him until you were nearly done. So other than being a Peeping Tom, what threat is he to you?"

"What are you saying, Davis?" Kate asked nervously.

"If anyone should be punished, it should be me. I'll take his place, if you'll spare him."

My body moved by its own will now and began walking towards her. The gun began shaking in her hand. She fired a shot, missing on purpose. I didn't stop though. She fired four more shots aimlessly. I knelt at her feet and bowed my head down. I'm not a man who bows to anyone, but if the body is supposed to be your sacred temple, then by a gentleman's standards, I had violated her temple and deserved to be humbled, even if I was her leader.

"What are you doing, Oliver? Do you have a death wish?!"

"I am a man of honor, Kate. I will not leave until you have justice. If that requires my death, so be it."

My last memory was the thunderous sound of a gunshot. I woke up on a beach with nothing but a pair of boxers. She killed me. The woman was cold and unforgiving, but that was to be expected considering what she had survived. After eight hours of walking through the jungle, I had finally returned to the village of Hope. Jonas was there to greet me with my armor and my pistol. I got dressed where I stood.

"What happened while I was gone?" I asked calmly.

"How can you be so calm after what just happened?" Jonas asked in disbelief.

"She was within her rights to kill me." I replied simply.

"Well, your act of mercy cost us another thirteen men. We're a tribe of twenty now."

"Did she spare Sean?"

"The boy just cost you thirteen good men and you're more worried about him? If you continue to show weakness like this, that boy will be all you have left, Oliver."

"You would leave me, Jonas?" I asked with an amused look.

"That's not what I meant." Jonas stammered.

"No; you always speak your mind; that's why so many men seek your guidance. What's on your mind, friend?"

Page 9

"In the men's eyes, you're soft. They think Kate's got a steel grip on your balls, and therefore the tribe. The ones who left said the tribe belonged to her now."

"But what do _you_ think?"

"I think you're trying too hard to protect the woman. If Kate becomes a higher priority than the rehabilitation of your men, your men will lose faith in you."

"This is how you truly feel?"

"Yes, Oliver; I'd like to see Earth again someday. I'll protect Kate to the best of my ability, but I want to be rehabilitated. If you can't help me do that, I need to find someone who can." Jonas said with a sigh.

"I understand. Well, let's say we start rehabilitating the men I have left, including you." I said with a nod.

"What did you have in mind?" Jonas asked with a grin.

"It's safe to assume that most of our tames left with their owners. We need more tames if we hope to take on the overlords of this Ark."

"What are you thinking? Maybe a rex or two?" Jonas suggested.

"No, that would scare our bait away." I replied thoughtfully.

"What bait?"

"Was Sean spared?" I asked again.

"It took quite a bit of convincing on my part, but yeah, we brought him back uninjured." Jonas answered before giving me a suspicious glance, adding, "He's not the bait, is he?"

"I died for the horny bastard; I think he owes me a favor." I replied.

"That seems a bit harsh, don't you think?"

"Being a man has its rewards, but there are responsibilities as well. If he wishes to stay in this tribe, he needs to pull his own weight."

A set of flak armor was made for the boy. He was armed with a sword and a crossbow, but he was no less frightened than he would have been if I had sent him out in his boxers. I didn't send him out alone, of course. Along with myself, Jonas and Kate (who was delighted to see him shaking) joined me. I also brought Lee King, Randy Sterns, and Travis Hawke. Even without Jonas, Kate, and Sean, I could easily tame most creatures in the area with the team I had.

The goal was to tame a pack of raptors. Before the tribe downsized, we had eight raptors; among the twenty remaining tribe members, we had two. Raptors were the basic defense of any jungle tribe. They were fast, aggressive, and alert. They were also relatively easy to ride, so they served as reliable transports. The tricky part was taming them before they made a meal out of us. Flak was a good metal armor, but it would only hold up for so long before the raptors ripped it apart.

We had traveled three hours northwest towards Dreamer's Field; this put us in the center of raptor territory. Raptors hunted on every acre of our region, but at the center of Broken Hearts' territory was where they preferred to breed. There were downed trees leaning against the taller, healthier trees that still stood and patches of sunlight partially penetrated through the foliage where trees used to stand. The jungle floor was unusually clean and clear of the thorns, vines, and roots that typically littered the surface. There were few bushes or saplings in the area. This section appeared old and ancient compared to the rest of the jungle.

The downed trees served us well after we were done placing standing torches; we climbed them to stay off of the ground while we tranquilized the raptors. Sean, on the other hand, would not be as fortunate. His task was to find a nest and pick up an egg. After that, he would direct as many raptors as he could to our location. Then, we would sedate as many raptors as we could while Sean prayed that his flak armor would keep him alive.

Sean wouldn't just stand there and wait to die, of course. We would need some of the raptors dead so we could feed the sedated raptors. He would defend himself with the weapons he was given, but I had given the boy strict orders to leave at least four of the raptors unharmed. The challenge was getting the right amount of raptors to show up; too few would mean having to repeat the process whereas too many put the bait at high risk of dying. Six was the ideal number for this operation.

Page 10

I heard screaming in the distance. I knew the first phase of the operation was successful and Sean was leading a pack of raptors in our direction. Lee, Randy, and I sat ready on downed trees with longneck rifles and tranquilizer darts. Jonas, the stubborn man he was, stuck with his crossbow and tranq arrows in a tree branch above the downed trees. Kate stood behind a tree with a pump action shotgun. Travis laid flat on the top of a hill with a fabricated sniper rifle with a holo-scope attachment, which doubled as a night vision scope.

"How many do you see, Travis, and how far away?" I asked.

I waited a moment, he suddenly replied, "Shit! The kid's got ten of them on his ass, Oliver! Distance is about two hundred meters, but he's got to be running at almost thirteen kilometers per hour!"

Four too many and less than a minute away. Tranq four, kill two, and feed the dead ones to the tranqed ones. That's the way it was supposed to go. This is why our team employed a sniper for exactly this kind of situation.

"When you get a shot, Travis, take it. Get ready offer support, Kate. Everyone else, standby with the tranqs." I ordered.

After a long silence I heard a gunshot and a startled cry. Ten seconds later, there was another gunshot and startled cry. Then the remaining eight began to come into focus. Sean was indeed running at incredible speed, barely staying ahead of the pack. He didn't slow down as he reached the center of our trap. He ran right past Kate before climbing up a downed tree.

"Fuck!" Kate cursed as she put two shots into the nearest raptor.

She began to run around the tree as the raptor she shot fell to the ground dead. The raptors turned their attention on Kate now and chased her away from the tree. She emptied her shotgun into pack, managing to take out one more. Travis managed to get a headshot on the one that leapt at her, dropping the number to five. This was a sloppy job now and I was rather disappointed, but I couldn't afford to lose anyone.

"Start tranqing, guys!"

We had the first raptor sedated within two minutes, then another forty-five seconds later. Kate had pulled out her revolver now and fired all six shots, but none of them proved fatal. Travis was forced to hold his fire until we had three more raptors sedated. Kate pulled out her sword and slashed wildly in a desperate attempt to keep the remaining three at bay, but she was losing stamina fast.

We sedated another raptor thirty seconds after Kate had drawn her sword. Travis began firing warning shots into the ground, but it wasn't going to hold them off for long. Kate was fighting for her life now with nothing but stubborn determination. She would swing only when a raptor came within range of her blade and even then, her attacks were sluggish. We brought down our fourth raptor as the sword slipped out of her hand and fell silently to the jungle floor.

The last raptor had a few tranqs in it and was slightly sluggish itself, but had plenty of energy to take down the weakened woman. Travis had run out of ammo and we were out of tranq ammo. It seemed that her fate was sealed, but even a coward has courage, it seems.

Sean appeared out of nowhere, knocking Kate a good two and a half meters to the right as the raptor charged at her. The raptor bit down on his right arm and picked him up off of his feet. Sean cried out in pain as he had his arm dislocated. The raptor was in for a surprise though; Sean was lefthanded. With his good hand, he picked up Kate's sword after getting pinned onto his back. A moment later, his helmet was missing and the sword was protruding through the raptor's throat. Shortly after, the raptor convulsed on the ground and spit up blood until it lay still.

As we climbed down from our perches, Sean and Kate laid on the ground, nearly motionless. Kate slowly staggered to her feet and pulled her sword out of the raptor. With a surprising show of strength (considering how exhausted she was), she grabbed Sean's left shoulder and pulled him onto his feet. He winced at the pain from his dislocated arm, but remained silent otherwise as they locked eyes with each other.

Page 11

"Now you're a man, Sean Kent." Kate said before walking away.

Sean had the biggest grin on his face I'd ever seen and Kate sensed it as well because she added, "But next time, use your own sword."

"Do you think I earned a kiss?" He suddenly asked.

We burst out laughing now; none of my men had ever had the balls to ask her that. They had joked with her and created plenty of awkward situations for her, but this was a first. Kate's face had turned so red now we laughed even harder. I think what made the situation so awkwardly funny was the fact that the boy was asking in pure innocence. Kate turned and faced him, pointing her sword at him now.

"I can still kill you at any time, child. Don't forget that you serve under me, just like everyone else in this tribe. If you plan to go another day without dying, I suggest you never ask that again."

"Well, not _everyone_." I reminded her with an amused smile.

"Fuck off, Oliver! You know what I meant!" Kate exclaimed, her face even redder now as she began venting her anger on a dead raptor with her sword.

Jonas walked up to Sean and put a hand on his good shoulder before saying with a grin, " _Now_ you're a man, Sean Kent."

Within two hours, we were walking back to the village with our pack of raptors. We shared a few laughs to pass the time and distract Sean from his pain; it didn't seem wise to remove his armor in the open jungle, so we weren't able to set his arm back in place. We made it back to the village and everyone took the opportunity to recover from the task they had completed.

Today, we learned three important things. One; don't lose sight of your goals, because you may lose your support as well. Two; even a boy can be a hero if his heart is in the right place. Three; for the love of god, don't go staring at naked women in the Barbarian Lands Ark unless you're ready to die.


	4. The Land Of Misfit Wolves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tribe of Lost Wolves is no longer the great tribe that it once was, but the tribe endures, nonetheless. A woman with a reckless past leads the tribe now, still recovering from the trauma of slavery. The tribe generally accepts anyone, providing that the direwolves approve. However, the leader isn't quick to trust the more hardened criminals. Things are further complicated with the arrival of a fourteen-year-old girl. The fate of Lost Wolves hangs in the balance now; whether or not their leader can accept the tribe as a whole will determine the tribe's survival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, ADHD meds won't defeat me. The chapter is done, however...

Chapter 4: The Land Of Misfit Wolves

Day 395 of the Lost Wolves Tribe

-

Every man and woman here has a story to tell, but their stories don't mean anything. Mistakes were made and now they're here, that's all there is to it. It doesn't matter what they did because the fact that they're in here already tells you that they're horrible people; Yes, I'm one of those horrible people. Nothing surprises me anymore; I've been eaten by dinosaurs, killed by lunatics, and enslaved by a man who shouldn't be allowed to respawn again, much less return to Earth. What's my story, you ask? Well, I have two stories, but I'm only going to share one.

My name is Jackie Jones; I nearly forgot my name, so saying it brings me comfort. I was an orphan with no future. I was angry that my parents had abandoned me before I even came out of the womb, so I made life difficult for everyone around me. I made a mockery of the people who wasted their lives trying to educate me. I made a mockery of the couples who tried to adopt me. I made a mockery of life itself. I could tell you about the people I stole from, the boys I laid, or the number of times I ran away from home; but I've made it clear by now that nothing mattered to me.

How did I end up here? Well...about those boys I laid. They were good children and some had already been chosen to be adopted by families. I would come to realize that I stripped them of their innocence and some of them couldn't be saved. One of them became a criminal feared by many. His name was Eddie Santos. He found me in the streets and decided I was his ideal wife. When I said no, it turned into a struggle and I killed him with his gun.

I didn't get to claim self-defense because there were more guys than I could count who stepped forward to defend him; the sad thing was I remembered every one of them from the beds we shared at the orphanage, even at the age of twenty-eight. My childhood had condemned me to this place. The doctor who sedated me said this would be my personal hell and she would never wish the fate that awaited me on anyone. She was right. Even as the leader of the Lost Wolves Tribe, this place remains my personal hell.

Aside from the tribe that owned me and the man who gave me my tribe, only one other person knows my other story; she shared that story with me. She gave me strength when I was weak, she gave me hope when I wanted to give up, and she taught me how to love again. However, I will never love another man. That woman is the only one I will ever love, but whether she loves me back or not, I may never know. She was rescued by a man who is admirable, or at least that's the rumor. Have you replaced me with a conventional lover, or do you still wait for my return? Where are you, my dear sweet Kate?

"Jackie, we've got a new one." A young man said.

Albert Reed; one of the better men in my tribe. The only decent guy in my tribe, actually. He was the only Lowlife in the whole tribe. Twenty-five, hot as hell, fun to be around, and I'd seen him without his boxers; he's the kind of guy I could've gone for in another life. Even after turning him down, he continued to support the tribe in any way he could. I knew he would give me everything he had and ask for nothing in return and that was the kind of tribe I strived for; a tribe that could function without ulterior motives.

"Man or woman?" I asked, showing no interest in the news.

"Man."

"Class?"

"Unforgiven." Albert answered hesitantly.

"Making him the fifth in our tribe. How do the wolves react around him?"

"They keep they're distance, but they growl if he approaches."

The wolves feared him; this was disturbing. How the wolves reacted often decided whether a person would join my tribe or not. In the event that the wolves welcomed a person's presence, they were granted a place in my tribe. If the wolves remained neutral to a person's presence, the person could join my tribe, but only after they had tamed a direwolf of their own. If the wolves rejected a person's presence, they sensed danger and the person was turned away. If the wolves _feared_ a person's presence, they sensed great evil and the person was driven away.

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The direwolves were the foundation of this tribe. This was the first thing I learnt when I joined the tribe. There were forty-eight members in the tribe and each member had a wolf. When I found the tribe, I was greeted by the presence of all forty-eight direwolves; they seemed to comfort and protect me, as if they had known me my whole life. The tribe stared in disbelief as the wolves laid at my side.

I later learnt that this had never happened since the tribe had formed and if it did happen, it was to forewarn of the coming of a new tribe leader. The leader was a man who no name, simply known as the 'Wolf Whisperer'. Wolf Whisperer taught me the ways of his people over the course of a month. The tribe made it clear that I would never be accepted as their leader, so I tried leaving several times, but the wolves wouldn't let me.

Wolf Whisperer told me that I was one with the wolves and they would never allow me to give up until they were ready to give up. I quickly learnt that a direwolf always fights to the death when death is a possible outcome. At that moment I knew whether I liked it or not, this was going to be my tribe. As I expected, most of the tribe left. I begged Wolf Whisperer to stay with me, but he said his time had passed and the wolves were mine to command now.

I started with a tribe of eight, including me. There are thirty of us now and my tribe is fragile, to put it mildly. Out of the forty-eight wolves that started this tribe, thirty stayed at my side. Seven had owners still and I chose one as my own. It had been a little over two months since I took over Lost Wolves and each wolf had an owner now. It was possible to join the tribe even if there were no wolves to claim, a new wolf would be tamed for the new tribe member. Inviting a person like this into my tribe would betray the trust of my wolves and sever our bonds, severing the tribe as well.

I stepped out of my small wooden cabin, the home of the previous leader. As I left the comfort of my wood stove, I was greeted by the bitter cold air that struck my face. I wore a full set of fur armor, but somehow, I still felt the need to shiver. I suspected that it wasn't the cold air or the snow that was getting to me.

Albert and Hannah followed me outside. Hannah was my direwolf. She had been my trusted companion since the first day I met her and saved me on more than one occasion now. The fact of the matter was that without our wolves, we only had half a soul.

Hannah was far taller than the average direwolf; long ago, Helena Walker cataloged the breed as Canis Maxdirus with good reason. My direwolf was nearly two and a half times larger than the average direwolf. Hannah's shoulder stood as high as my head and her body was nearly as long as I was tall. She had olive green eyes and pale white fur. She was nearly invisible in a blizzard.

She took a few steps ahead of me and growled suddenly, looking towards the circle of people who stood ahead of me. The circle parted as I approached, whistling for Hannah to wait with Albert. I was greeted by a formidable man with a ruthless grin as I stepped into the circle.

The man intimidated me with just a glance. He looked to be about forty. He was easily two meters tall and weighed at least a hundred and thirty kilos. He had dark green eyes and short trimmed ginger hair. The guy was all muscle underneath his cloth armor; there was no easy way he was going down. I on the other hand stood at one point seven meters and weighed fifty-two kilos. I had managed to develop some musculature over the last two months, but I was still a good four and a half kilos underweight. Being the tribe leader of Lost Wolves came with it's benefits, however.

"What do you want, stranger?" I asked calmly.

"You're kidding, right? You're the tribe leader?! I only wanted to join the tribe, but I might as well take it now. There's no way a little girl like you could stand up to me!" The man laughed.

"That wouldn't be a good idea. I suggest you leave while you can." I warned.

"I don't think so, bitch. Those irresistible C-cups are the most threatening weapons you've got. If you know what's good for you, you'll hand the tribe over and submit to my every command." The man chuckled with a sly grin.

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"You have the right to challenge me, but you might be surprised at the outcome." I said with a grin of my own.

"Alright then, let's see what you've got, little girl. I'll give you five free shots before I shatter every bone in your body."

I removed my fur armor and stood in my undergarments now. He whistled with approval.

"It's going to be a shame when I turn that perfect slave body into a crippled mess."

With a flash of speed, I ran around him and lashed out with my kneecap, driving it into the back of his leg. He fell to his knee with a surprised look on his face. I spun back in front of him and drove my forehead into his nose. I stepped back to see that I had successfully broken his nose and blood now flowed down his face. When he saw the blood on his hand, he slowly stood to his feet,

"I still get three free shots, right?" I grinned.

Before I knew it, he had grabbed my hair and slammed my face into his kneecap. He then lifted me off of my feet and slammed me into the ground before kicking me in the stomach. I gasped as the wind was knocked out of me. I instinctively rolled out of the way as his fist pounded the ground where my right eye had been previously.

_Hannah!_

I was filled with a new energy as I quickly got to my feet, catching my breath with ease. He swung his foot towards my ribs, so I blocked with my arm. The impact staggered me sideways; I was surprised that my direwolf's strength wasn't enough to stop his attack. I ducked under as he swung with his right fist and pounded his ribs with my left.

He staggered back with a surprised look on his face before smiling.

"So it's true then. The tribe leader draws strength from the pack. Impressive, but not good enough. I won't go easy on you anymore, little girl."

He swung again with his right and I ducked again, only to have his kneecap driven into my face. He grabbed my hair again and slammed my face into his kneecap repeatedly. When I fell to the ground, he stepped on my back and pulled on my arm until he heard a satisfying snap. He quickly grabbed my other arm and did the same, dislocating both of my limbs now. I began to approach unconsciousness as he grabbed my leg and knew I needed to call for backup.

_Venessa, Taylor, Andrew!_

With a fresh burst of strength, I broke free of his grip and rolled onto my back before kicking him squarely in the chest. The guy flew a meter into the air before falling to the ground. The pain was subsiding as I stumbled onto my feet, but my arms were still useless. He climbed back onto his feet and looked at me with rage.

"What the hell are you?!" He bellowed.

"I have thirty wolves at my command; that was the power of four. You can humiliate me, perhaps, but you'll never beat me." I snarled.

"Fuck you! I won't lose to a little girl!"

He charged at me blindly now. I stood calmly until the last possible second. As he swung his fist again, I sidestepped and drove my foot into his leg. In a blur of speed, I jumped up and brought my foot down on his shoulder, effectively breaking it. As he fell to the ground, I pinned him on his back with my foot on his broken shoulder. I stomped on his chest with my other foot; there was a sickening snap as his rib cage shattered. The man laid dead at my feet.

I fell to my knees in pain as my wolves rushed to my aid, followed by the rest of the tribe. What happened next would seem impossible for quite some time to come. My body began to heal itself with the guidance of the wolves. For a brief moment, I had the power of every direwolf flowing through me. My arms moved by their own will, snapping back into place. The bruises on my body faded away. Now came the painful part; as the strength of the direwolves left my body, I was bombarded with all of the pain I should have felt during the fight.

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I sat up in my bed as I woke from a nightmare; they were a regular occurrence for me. I looked around to see that Kimaria was seated by Hannah. Kimaria was the oldest member of the tribe. I respected her for her wisdom and experience, so making her my second in command was the first thing I did as the new leader. Her direwolf, Lana, was probably the strongest in the pack.

Kimaria was old and frail in appearance, but she had made short work of many raptors. She had braided white hair and bluegreen eyes. She was one point seven meters tall and weighed fifty-five kilos. She wore checkered purple and red cloth armor, a black belt and a thin light sword with a razor sharp blade. The cloth armor looked aged but rugged, showing no signs of fading anytime soon.

"You must learn to control the flow of energy if you wish to avoid these situations." Kimaria said without a glance.

"I know, Kimaria. I just don't understand how to release the energy."

"The wolves give you energy by peering into your soul. You must peer into theirs if you wish to do the same."

"I'm not a psychic, Kimaria." I snorted.

"Nor are the wolves. Let your heart guide you and you will know how to control the energy that flows through you." Kimaria replied calmly.

"That could be a problem; my heart's filled with hatred." I muttered with a scowl.

"You must purge your hatred, or else the energy will consume you."

"Easier said than done."

"Wolf Whisperer has never been wrong when judging a person. You will be a great leader; of this I am certain." Kimaria said, locking eyes with me now.

"That's why you're my second in command. Seriously though; how do I purge my hatred?"

"You will know when the answer presents itself, Jackie."

There was a knock at the door. I suddenly realized that I was still in my undergarments before wrapping myself up in the fur blanket. I looked over at Hannah, but she remained calm. For an instant, I could've sworn she had winked at me. I was pretty sure I knew who it was, so I dropped the blanket and stood up.

"Enter."

Albert opened the door and stood there as his face turned red. I'd have to remember to praise Hannah later. Kimaria let out a chuckle before standing up.

"I'll leave you two alone." Kimaria smiled.

"You know she's just teasing me, Kimaria; this will never go anywhere." Albert sighed.

"Even wounded hearts can surprise their owners." Kimaria countered.

"If you catch me in the right mood, we may share a bed for a night, but I could never give a man my heart." I smiled sadly before asking, "surely you didn't just come here to fantasize?"

"We have another one." Albert replied nervously.

"So soon? Perhaps the creep brought backup. Man or woman?"

"See for yourself."

Albert slowly stood aside, never walking into the cabin. Hannah's ears perked up as she caught sight of the new arrival. I was completely unprepared for what came next.

I locked eyes with a teenage girl; not a young teenage woman, but an _actual_ teenage girl. She couldn't have been older than fourteen. Even Kimaria let out a gasp as the girl ran forward and wrapped her arms around me. Hannah was quick to join us, licking the girl's face before whining for attention like she did with all of the members she liked.

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"How is such a thing possible?" Kimaria asked Albert, but he merely shrugged before shaking his head.

"Leave us; I have work to do." I said after a long silence.

After Albert and Kimaria had left, I spent some time to examine the girl. She was barely a meter and a half tall and weighed forty-one kilos; she was indeed fourteen. The girl had bright purple eyes and long messy white hair. She arrived in the same undergarments I wore. I was surprised to see that she was nearly as well developed as Kate, and she was less than half her age.

I held one of her hands and moved it towards Hannah's back. The girl tried to pull her hand back, so I let go. She glanced at me for a second before staring down at the floor. I touched her chin with a finger and locked eyes with her; I knew this behavior and what it meant.

"She won't hurt you; it's alright." I said gently with a smile.

The girl slowly reached out and hesitantly placed her hand on the direwolf's back. Hannah whimpered now; she did this when she peered into the soul of a damaged person. I closed my eyes as I placed my hand on top of hers.

The pack didn't just give me physical strength; it provided me with other abilities, such as seeing through their eyes during a hunt, or peering into the soul of another person. In truth, I had only begun to scratch the surface of what my pack could do.

I peered into the soul of every person who joined my tribe. Some of the souls I saw I felt sorry for, others disgusted me. I knew right away that this one was going to bring me to tears. There was an exchange of images and memories that lasted for a few moments until Hannah let out a sad howl, signifying that she had seen enough.

We embraced each other now, each understanding the suffering of the other. The man I killed had enslaved her less than a day ago. The damage he had done was minimal, but at her age, it was significant. I held her for quite some time before she spoke.

"How?" The girl asked.

"How what?"

"How did you survive?"

"I didn't. I hate the world and want to lash out at everyone." I answered honestly.

"Not the other woman; you love her." The girl said with a look of confusion.

"Yes; I love Kate." I whispered.

The women of the tribe quickly sewed a set of fur armor for our new tribe member. Albert brought us some food before making a hasty retreat. Kimaria came back with the fur armor and her own direwolf, Lana. Lana warmed up to Amber just as easily as Hannah had.

I spoke with the girl about her arrival here and learnt that her name was Amber Betts. Her father had been a gambling man and placed a bet with her. He lost the bet and that's how Amber had ended up in here. The story disgusted me; how a parent could do such a thing in an age like this was beyond me.

I began escorting Amber around the village with Hannah at my side. Amber wasn't comfortable around the men of my tribe, but I couldn't say that I could blame her. On one occasion I became disgusted with a few of them and spoke my mind to the whole tribe.

"Hey, Craig, couldn't you see yourself banging the new girl." A man asked suddenly after he thought we had passed out of earshot.

"Never mind banging her, how about owning her?" Another man chuckled.

"Don't kid yourself, boys. She's mine and she'll love me, no matter what." A third man grinned.

I was about to let them have it when I heard a low growling. I turned to see Kimaria standing a few meters away with Lana at her side; Lana bore her teeth as her growling grew louder. They suddenly looked up at the direwolf and stepped back nervously.

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"None of you are worthy of the wolves at your side! If I was in charge, I would have you all driven away from this place!" Kimaria spat as she matched her direwolf stride for stride.

Hannah let out a brief howl. Just like that, the men's direwolves formed a barrier around Amber, with Hannah in the front. The men called their wolves back, but they began to growl just as Lana had, who was now joining the other wolves. The men locked eyes with me, pleading for mercy.

"I lead this tribe, gentlemen, but the pack has the final say. If I ban you, they can choose to leave by your side or stay by mine. If your wolves abandon you, they have spoken for me. We see the first child in this Ark and your minds go straight to sex, with or without her consent? You all disgust me and deserve to be abandoned! Get the hell out of here before I order the pack to escort you out!"

"You're nothing without the wolves, Jones!" The first man bellowed.

I held up a hand as all of the wolves at Amber's side bore their teeth and began to snarl.

"Okay, Nedrick. You want to challenge me? That's fine; I'll take you down without a single wolf." I said with a ruthless grin.

"This I've got to see!" The third man grinned.

The wolves and the tribe were quick to form a circle around us, but it hadn't been necessary; with a flash of speed I charged the one point eight meter tall, ninety kilo man and drove my knee into his groin. As he doubled over in pain, I got his knife out of its sheath, grabbed his hair, pulled his head back, and slit his throat. He fell to the ground dead.

"You bitch! You didn't even give him a chance!"

"I gave him the same chance you would have given her." I hissed with narrowed eyes.

The men considered rushing me, but the wolves were at my side. The tribe slowly came to my side, including the other six men, leaving the three of them alone. They stared at me with murderous intent, but they knew they had lost.

"I'm not weak, boys; I just have friends who care about me." I warned.

The men made a hasty retreat. I turned to face the tribe now. Many of them were my friends, but in that moment, none of that mattered. Kimaria took a deep breath and gave me a nod, knowing that what was to come wouldn't be pleasant.

"I've tolerated all of you up to this point. Some of you sicken me, but I've shown you the same respect I expect to be shown. That all changes today. From this moment forward," I paused before walking over to Amber and putting a hand on her shoulder, "This girl is the most important member of our tribe now. If you hurt her, I will show you no mercy, whether you be friend or foe."

"You treat her like she's your daughter or something. How can you be so attached to her so soon?" A woman pointed out.

"How can you not, Liz? This girl had her life stripped from her. She nearly had her innocence taken from her as soon as she got here. Would you want your child to suffer that fate?"

"You don't seriously intend to raise her as your own, do you?" One of the men asked.

"Do any of you have the humility and the patience to ensure that this girl finds happiness in a world that was designed to break us?" I asked bluntly.

"Do you?"

I was shocked when I realized that the words had come from Albert's mouth. He had never challenged or questioned my abilities as his leader or as a woman. He seemed to be doing just that though. I studied his face, not sure what his angle was.

Page 7

"Damn straight I do. I'll be damned if a child suffers the same fate I did. She deserves a better life and you all know it."

"Then I will be her shield." Victor Nelson grunted.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. Victor Nelson was one of the men Wolf Whisperer had warned me about. The guy had been a predator with a long list of victims before coming to the Barbarian Lands. Wolf Whisperer set him straight, but warned he may revert if I showed weakness. So far, the man showed no signs of falling back on his old habits.

"You realize what that means, right, Victor?" I asked.

"I do." Victor said with a nod.

"Who else will step forward?"

The tribe slowly stepped forward. I was surprised again to see that Albert was the last to step forward.

"Let me be absolutely clear; this girl will make or break us. We are a pack of lost wolves searching for our souls. If we can't save a girl from the horrors that await her here, we have failed humanity, again. If you're not intimidated by the responsibility I've given you, you should have nothing to worry about. That's all." I said, exhaling to relieve the stress that had built up.

The tribe members began to walk away. I approached Albert and grabbed him by the arm while Hannah stayed at Amber's side. We locked eyes as he froze in place.

"What the hell was that?!" I demanded.

"I don't know. My father adopted a girl and made the same promise you did, but he failed miserably."

"Do you really think I'll fail to protect Amber? Do you honestly think I could hurt her after everything I've been through?"

"Jackie, you don't understand. That girl, my adopted sister, is in the Barbarian Lands Ark."

"So you're afraid I'll make her like us?"

"My sister is Victoria Valentine." Albert murmured.

I was at a loss for words now. I had never met the young woman, but the men of Dirty Pigs had spoken of her. She was a woman who survived a brutal childhood. Supposedly, her mind broke and that was the way she arrived, joining the tribe of Tough Bitches. This was significant for Albert's sake because Tough Bitches was a tribe of women who hated all men and took pleasure in their suffering. According to the Dirty Pigs, Victoria Valentine drove men to their deaths simply by teasing them.

"You're afraid Amber will hate you because of me?" I asked slowly.

"I'm afraid that all women will hate me when they learn who I am."

"What was she like?" I asked suddenly.

"I'd rather not say. To be blunt, she's the reason why I'm in here. She drove me to the point of putting a guy in a coma and I'll have to live with that for the rest of my life."

"Oh. I'm not sure that I understand though. Why would you be hated for being her brother?"

"Because; I chose to ignore her when she asked for help and she may not have ended up here if I'd stepped in when I had the chance." Albert sighed angrily before walking away.

I wanted to stop him, but something inside told me to let him go. Somehow, I knew that whatever he was holding back was going to be painful for both of us if it was brought into the open. Amber had joined me now with Hannah and the direwolves of the men who had been banned from the tribe.

"Let's go home, Amber." I said with a sigh.

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The day seemed to pass me by in an instant. I stripped down to my undergarments and covered up with the thick fur blanket on my bed, once I had convinced Hannah to get off of the blanket. She gave me an annoyed look before joining Amber, who was already asleep. I rolled my eyes before finding a comfortable position. My eyes grew heavy at an alarming rate; I hadn't realized how tired I was until my head hit the pillow.

I found myself standing next to Albert on a stone sidewalk. We both ignored the fact that the other was half naked; the fact that our direwolves were at our side was more important. In this instance, the presence of our wolves meant we were being guided through a vision. Albert turned to face me with a sad smile, confirming that it was his life we were seeing.

"You were right, Jackie. The wolves have the final say, it would seem."

We were in an old worn down house now. The windows were broken, the paint was faded, and the roofing was slowly crumbling away. The door was missing a hinge and the lock was broken. Inside was more of the same. The house was bare and lacked furniture of any kind. The electrical lights were unpowered and substituted with candle light. This was a place that shouldn't have existed in the Colony. The place should've been demolished and rebuilt, but for whatever reason, the condemned house stood in place.

A man and a woman stood in front of a fireplace that hadn't been lit in quite some time. I recognized the man as Albert. The woman must have been his sister, I assumed. I was surprised by her appearance.

The woman was a little over one point six meters tall and weighed about fifty-four and a half kilos. She had long, wild blue hair and dark green eyes. She wore a pair of green sandals, a ripped up faded red skirt, and a faded buttoned jean jacket.

"Albert, you're my brother, I need you to do this for me!"

"Victoria, I won't kill a man; not for anyone!" Albert insisted.

"Not even for the death of your unborn nephew?!"

"You would never carry another man's child; you told me that. Don't think I've forgotten my childhood with you."

"Well, things don't always turn out the way you expect them to, do they?" Victoria asked with a sad smile.

"I'm not buying it, Victoria. If this is some elaborate scheme to humiliate me, don't bother. I doubt I could be humiliated any further than I already have." Albert growled.

"I'll give you _anything_ , Brother. All those promises I made to you? I'll live up to them. I'll make you happier than you've ever been in your whole life! Please!"

"I love you, Victoria, as much as any sibling could. But I can't kill a person. I'm not interested in promises you made to be my slave when you were eleven. The fact that I remember them disgusts me. Now get the hell out of here before I consider taking my own life." Albert said before turning his back on the woman.

"Fine. I'll do it myself, then." Victoria said before she left the house.

Albert, _my_ Albert, sobbed silently as his younger self sat on the floor, leaning against the wall underneath the broken window that faced the street. Younger Albert began to cry as well. The house slowly faded away and we watched as he took on five guys with a metal rod. He swung uncontrollably until none were left standing. He returned to one of the men and bashed the rod against his skull. Later that night, judicial officers arrested him; he sat on the ground next to a bloody body that still drew breath.

Then everything faded to darkness. Albert, our direwolves, and I were the only things left. We faced each other, illuminated in dull light, We locked eyes and stared in silence for quite some time.

"Is it true then? Did someone kill her unborn child?" I asked tensely.

"And she killed him in public; yes, it's true." Albert answered absentmindedly.

"Then what was the point of taking on the other five guys? How do they come into this picture?"

Page 9

"She slept with all of them to hurt me. She wanted me to know what I was missing out on. They took it a step further by saying if I had been a real man, I would've slept with her too."

"You put a guy in a coma for saying that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"No, I put the guy in a coma because he said her unborn son was mine."

"That's not possible and you know it. You never slept with her."

"I was drugged the day she left home. When I woke up, I was in the bathtub and my clothes were on the floor in my bedroom."

"How?"

"Funny thing how blueberries and narcoberries look alike. Imagine my surprise when I realized my blueberry smoothie didn't have any blueberries."

"You can't tell me you didn't see this coming!" I growled.

"She's my sister, Jackie! What was I supposed to do?! Disown her and assume everything she said and did was a lie?"

"I don't know, Albert. I know she wouldn't just suddenly plan something like that."

"She promised me everything a guy could ever want, but carrying my child was never one of them."

"I don't know." I repeated.

"So where do I stand in your tribe?"

"I don't know." I said after a long silence.

The dream faded and awoke to find that Hannah was at my side again. I gently pet her head and rubbed her stomach before closing my eyes and falling asleep again. Hannah remained in my dreams, but no one joined me. It was just me and my direwolf, and I suspected she was trying to tell me something.

The next morning, I woke up alone; Hannah had once again migrated over to Amber. When I stepped outside, I noticed that the aura of my tribe had changed now. They seemed less pleasant now and gave of a more serious vibe. It took me a moment to realize that they were afraid. I would need to address them again to further clarify our new situation, but now wasn't the time.

I spotted Albert and quickly approached him before he could disappear.

"Gather the men, Albert. We're going out to get Amber a direwolf and you're coming with me."

"I don't think joining you right now is a good idea." Albert said softly.

"One way or another, we're going to confront this issue and put it behind us. Whether you stay in this tribe will depend on your actions from here."

"Okay, Jackie; what do you want from me? You know I'll give you anything."

"I want you to stop running, Albert. I want you to live without all the guilt and self hate."

"Fine, I'll gather the men and help you tame a direwolf, but you're not going to like where this conversation goes when we continue."

"If there's one thing I have to admire about you, Albert, it's your sense of honesty. This conversation will indeed continue." I said.

Albert walked away. While he gathered the men, Kimaria approached me. I knew what was on her mind and what she was going to say, but my mind was made up. This was the only way I would know for sure that my tribe would survive the sudden change that had been forced upon us.

"This is a bad idea, Jackie."

"I trust every woman here, Kimaria. I need to know that I can trust my men as well."

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"There are many things which could go wrong. As a former slave, leaving the safety of your tribe and your wolves is madness."

"I'm not leaving the safety of my tribe."

"But do you trust them?"

"Seems like I do, doesn't it?"

:This is a dangerous game for you, Jackie. You need to take Hannah with you."

"I already have someone I trust." I replied as I glanced over at Albert.

"This is a dangerous game for him too." Kimaria said, nodding towards the man as she followed my gaze.

"I _need_ to do this, Kimaria."

"I know. Be safe, child."

Within forty-five minutes, we were leaving the village and entering the southern jungle. It was an awkward, silent trip for some time. No one was willing to speak for some time, but leave it to Victor Nelson to break the silence. What played out next still shocks me to this day.

“So, we're thirty minutes from the village, boys. Anybody wanna take odds on how many of us she can take down?”

“Well, there are five us here. Albert's been brainwashed into thinking if he carries out her every demand perfectly, he might get some pussy, so he doesn't count. Peter's reformed, Kyle _is_ a pussy, and Rick only cares about getting out of here. That just leaves you and me, Victor." The man grinned.

"Wrong, Timothy, that just leaves you." Victor scowled before thrusting forward and sideways with his hunting knife.

Timothy Loyd collapsed to the ground dead with his throat slit. I glanced over at Victor, my eyes wide with a flurry of different emotions washing over me. Victor looked up at me for a brief moment before addressing the other men.

"If any of you think you can take her down, think again. I pledge my loyalty to my tribe and its leader." Victor warned.

I waited until the men looked away from Timothy's body. I removed him from the tribe without a second thought; half of my men remained. It wouldn't bother me if the tribe became an all female tribe, to be honest. Victor wasn't out of the clear though.

"Victor?"

"Yes, Jackie?"

"That was uncalled for. Killing him wasn't necessary." I said sternly.

"I disagree. I've heard him rallying the men to turn against you on countless occasions. That little fight you had today with Nedrick? That was orchestrated."

"Why didn't you say anything?" I said with a glare now.

"No one would back me up." Victor shrugged.

"Albert?"

"Don't bother; no one trusted him to keep him in the loop." Victor remarked.

I looked to Albert, but he avoided my glance.

We continued our hunt and within an hour, we set our sights on a lone direwolf. The direwolf was gray, silver, and black. I could tell that the direwolf was a young female. She would serve Amber well. In a year or two, she would become an invaluable member of my tribe. But the wolf was young; she would need training and firsthand experience before she was a full fledged member. First we would need to tame her though.

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"Victor, Albert; find a good sniping point and give me a signal when you're in place. Start tranqing her on my command."

The two men nodded before disappearing into the snow with their white fur armor. I faced the three remaining men.

"Peter, Kyle; the two of you will draw the direwolf towards Victor and Albert's location."

The men nodded and stood ready.

"Rick, you're with me. We'll be securing the perimeter."

"Got it." Rick said with a nod.

I waited for Albert and Victor to signal me with a piece of small reflective metal. I gave Kyle and Peter the hand signal to bait the direwolf. The direwolf fell for the trap and chased the two men towards the rock Albert and Victor were waiting from. As the men began dodging the young direwolf's attacks, I let out a shrill whistle, signaling for Albert and Victor to begin tranqing.

Rick tackled me to the ground from behind. I rolled over just in time to see a large furry body leap over us. Had I not spotted the second direwolf so quickly, my slave instincts would have kicked in. My slave instincts are to fight or run; either would have been disastrous to my tribe.

Rick lunged forward and stabbed the direwolf with his metal pike. The direwolf yelped and staggered back a step, but soon lunged at Rick. Rick lunged again, but the direwolf jumped over the pike and knocked Rick to the ground. I quickly placed an arrow on my compound bow and fired an arrow into the direwolf's back, but Rick was already dead in the time it took me to get to my feet and load the bow. After firing four more arrows in rapid succession, the direwolf fell to the ground lifeless.

I looked over just in time to see the other direwolf fall to the ground, but she was very much alive. I quickly joined the men and reported the death of Rick.

"Well, that sucks. He's out there in the freezing fucking cold in just his boxers." Peter grumbled.

"Which is why you'll be bringing his clothes back to him with Kyle and Victor."

"Oh, is Albert going to get some pussy after all?" Kyle grinned.

"Hey! It might be personal, but I doubt this is going to be pleasurable." Victor said with a fierce glare.

"Damn straight, Victor. Now assuming you men remember where the respawn point is, I suggest you find Rick before he freezes to death."

The men gathered Rick's belongings before leaving us in silence. Silence was all we heard for a long time. I broke the silence, not looking forward to what was coming next.

"You said I wouldn't like where this conversation went next. What's on your mind, Albert?"

"Running, guilt, and self hate. All of these things you want to see me give up? I see them in you too."

"What?" I asked, caught off guard now.

"I couldn't say this around your tribe, but I'm not wrong. You struggle to lead your tribe because you haven't gotten over being a slave yet. You're helpless and lost and probably have as much guilt and self hate as I do."

"What gives you that idea?" I asked defiantly.

"Because I know if you were a normal survivor with a normal life, you'd like me." Albert answered shakily.

"That's weak and you know it!"

"I know you hate men! If that doesn't bother you, you're more like my sister than I realized."

"I could never do the things that she does! I don't wish death upon anyone who deserves to live."

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"Then hating me must make you guilty as hell."

On this point, I could not disagree. The man had good intentions, a good heart, and a _great_ bod, but 'tolerate' was the best I could do with him. On my best days, I could tease him, but on my worst days, I drove his dignity into the ground and somehow, he brushed it off every time.

"Okay, let's say you're right? What do you expect me to do about it?"

"I'll make you a deal, Jackie Jones. If you can _try_ to appreciate what these men, including myself, do for you, and fight the impulse to treat us like shit, _I_ will learn to embrace myself as a good, decent person and put my past behind me."

"I don't know if you're bribing or blackmailing me, but I'm your tribe leader and I'm a woman; one way or another, I'll get what I want."

"I'm offering you a promise, Jackie. A friend to friend promise. Think it over and just realize; people feel better when they're not generalized as failures and monsters."

After a few more hours, the rest of my men joined us and we headed back to the village. Victor pried into the conversation we had, but neither of us felt like sharing any details. The rest of the trip was quiet. We were all relieved to be back in the village among our direwolves again. Amber was thrilled to see her direwolf as well.

The direwolf was bonded to her through an ancient ritual that Wolf Whisperer had taught me. It seems like I had just learnt it yesterday, but I had performed it on countless occasions now. The bond between them was strong and it seemed unlikely that they're bond would ever break.

Whether I liked it or not, I had bonded with every member of my tribe, including the men. When I took the time to think about it, I realized that the men who remained were good men and would remain loyal to me to the end. If the bond between us broke, it would likely be my doing and not theirs. Wolf Whisperer had given me advice regarding this as well, but I brushed it aside without a thought. Now seemed to be the time to reconsider that advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't imagine I'll be making much progress on the next chapter until I'm on my meds again. This story may be on halt until then. I have the next chapter planned out for the most part so please be patient; I hope to be back on my feet soon.


	5. Drowning In Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tribe of Tragic Rejects are the least likely to wage war in the Barbarian Lands Ark. In fact, Tragic Rejects refuses to kill other survivors. Indeed, this tribe would fit in with society quite well if it weren't for the violence and anger that boils at its surface. Times are changing though and Tragic Rejects begins to realize that they may not survive much longer if they stay true to their beliefs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took a while, but this is it. The chapter is done. It wasn't easy writing about a tribe that won't kill, but I like how it came out.

Chapter 5: Drowning In Guilt

Day 241 of the Tribe of Tragic Rejects

-

Killing...is unpleasant. There are worse things than murder, but I simply can't stand it. Being placed in this Ark where it happens repeatedly on a daily basis nearly makes me sick. I know of course there are times when killing is necessary, but I just can't do it. It reminds me of how close we come to embracing the monsters that these Arks intended us to become. The creatures around us kill for a reason; usually because of hunger, self-defense, or defending their territory. That last reason leaves me with mixed feelings, but the reason why we kill is far more revolting. Humans kill simply because they can; that's true in the Arks, at least.

Am I a killer? Well, I've hunted a few creatures to fill my belly, but no, I've never killed another person. In fact, I can't even say I've hunted the creatures; they were dying and I put them out of their misery. Uncontrollable anger brought me to this place and it's only by miracle that I haven't killed a person. I put a guy in the hospital, then two guys, then two more, and finally, I put a dozen guys in the hospital, including a Judicial Officer, and I was ruled a violent offender and exiled to the Barbarian Lands Ark.

Why hospitalize all those people? Well, my family had been cowards in the Arks before coming to Earth. As a third generation child, I was still regularly reminded of how everyone in my family, including myself, was unworthy of returning to Earth. They would say things like, "All you're good for is slave work.", or, "Maybe if your family starts carrying our children, future generations will be free of your shame.". The families that ruled as Alpha Tribes previously made it clear that my bloodline didn't deserve to be free and happy, so I convinced them otherwise.

Ironically, some of the members of those families serve under me currently. They thought retaliation would put my family in its place and they would gain immunity at the same time. Well, I'm pleased to say that the Judicial Department doesn't play favorites with people...for long. My family wants nothing to do with me now because of the deaths they blame me for as a result of my actions, but they've learned to stand up for themselves.

The ones who retaliated against my family? They were cowardly and disowned, just like me. I accept that resorting to violence was the act of a coward, but I was given a second chance when I got here. I rule the Tribe of Tragic Rejects, a group of people who can't stomach the idea of murder anymore than I can; at least not when we're thinking clearly. My name is Timothy Reed, but everyone calls me Timmy.

My tribe works hard to survive and evolve to become better people. We're constantly looking at our pasts and using them to make better futures for ourselves. It's not easy though when our criminal history creates a family tree that's based on hatred. The hatred of our families is our only common link in this tribe; that is what we must overcome first before we can truly hope to rejoin society. Put simply, we must forgive each other and ourselves before we can return.

"Timmy. we've got another fight." A young man warned, not bothering to knock before swinging the door to my home wide open.

"Who is it this time?" I asked.

"Billy Graham and Joey Leech." The man answered.

"Why am I not surprised?" I asked rhetorically.

The two men were both convicted of manslaughter and both had killed a member of the other's family. I was surprised that it had taken a week to happen, but I knew this fight would break out eventually. This was the perfect example of how forgiveness would save us, but the two angry young men were set in their ways and demanded justice, just as I had.

The village of Serenity was not easily found. We built the village in the thickest region of the jungle, integrating much of the botanical life into our structures. Flowers, vines, branches, and even thorns decorated the structures we had built. It was nearly impossible to separate the natural from the artificial.

I climbed up a ladder and walked across a bridge made of vines before reaching the tree platform where everyone was watching. Both men looked bloody and ready for more. They matched each other blow for blow for some time until Joey stumbled to the floor. Billy got on top and proceeded to beat Joey senseless. I slowly pulled a revolver out of its holster and fired a shot into the air.

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"I think that's enough violence for today, boys." I said calmly as I holstered the weapon.

"Why should I stop? He didn't!" Billy bellowed.

"And if the roles here were reversed I would get the same argument, I'm sure. Let me ask you though; where do you plan to go when I ban you from the tribe?"

"What are you talking about?" Billy growled as he got off of Joey and stepped back.

"The rules of this tribe are simple. If you kill a member of your tribe for any reason other than self-defense or protecting the tribe, you're out."

"He deserves to die!"

"And so do you!" Joey spat as he sat up.

"And what do either one of you hope to accomplish? Death is temporary here."

There was a long silence as I let the fact sink in.

"If you want to pointlessly kill each other, be my guest. Just realize that it's not happening in my tribe." I warned.

The two men glared at each other for a period then walked away. The fight was over, but I knew this would happen again if I didn't do something about it. We had a solution for this kind of situation, but it wasn't pleasant.

Later that night I joined the company of eight men and gave them a nod. Within ten minutes, the two men were dragged out of their homes, stripped to their boxers, and tied to two posts at the ankles and wrists. My men made sure they were facing each other.

"What the hell is going on?!" Billy snarled.

"What do you think is happening, shit-for-brains? This is a banishment ritual." Joey snorted.

"Not quite, boys. You both endangered the stability of my tribe today. To combat future incidents like this, you'll be our punching bags tonight." I said.

"I can handle a beating; that's not going to scare me into good behavior." Joey grinned.

"Perhaps, but have you ever had the wind knocked out of you forty-eight times?" I asked calmly, glancing between both men.

"You're going to fucking kill us!" Billy yelled as he struggled against his bindings.

"You will each have the wind knocked out of you once every five minutes until every member of the tribe has struck you. If that doesn't get my point across, then you'll be banned from the tribe."

"You're fucking crazy!" Joey roared.

I walked up to Joey and stood in front of him. He spit in my face; not unreasonable for what was about to happen, I guess. I punched him under the ribs and watched as he gasped. Forty-five seconds passed before he began breathing again. Billy had laughed at him.

"Neither of you will be laughing when this is over." I said calmly before punching his diaphragm as well.

Joey wasn't as quick to laugh though. After having the wind knocked out of them five times, they were begging to be set free. After ten times, they were threatening to kill me. After twenty times, they both cried. The sun was rising when we finally released the men from the posts.

Joey glared at me and ended up taking a swing, but the pain in his stomach stopped his fist from connecting with me. He slowly picked up his clothes and walked away. Billy did something unexpected which forced me to reconsider how I ran my tribe from that moment forward. He climbed the ladder painfully with lifeless eyes. He tapped his implant once he was on the tree platform. I was momentarily alerted to the fact that he had left the tribe. I heard people gasp and looked up just in time to see that Billy had jumped from the platform and landed on top of a kentrosaurus, impaled to death. The kentro became startled and ran away from the metal spike wall barriers of the village with his body still impaled.

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I stood there speechless. I had done this procedure many times to people who craved death with considerable success, but no one had ever killed themselves as a result of this procedure. The young man stood by my side again, knowing I would need him.

His name was Chris Sanders. He was twenty-two years old, one point seven two meters, and just under sixty-six kilos. He had shoulder length brown hair, olive green eyes, a short beard, and pale white skin. He wore simple cloth armor that had been dyed brown along with a belt carrying a sheathed sword. Chris hadn't made the details of his crime clear yet, but I knew he hurt a lot of people.

For the record, you'll find that we don't often use characteristics like fat. thin, tall, short, athletic, muscular, flat, or curvy. Survivors in the Ark start off with the same general body build. Heights may vary, which does affect weight, but the men start off well built and muscular and the women vary somewhat as far as feminine features are concerned, but they are also muscular.

"I've never seen you react like this, but I know what regret looks like, Timmy." Chris said.

"We need to talk. Gather the tribe, Chris." I said after a long silence.

Twenty minutes later, the tribe was gathered around me on the tree platform Billy had jumped from. They stood nervously, waiting for the bad news. I looked around me as I gathered my thoughts. I let out a sigh before speaking.

"Friends; this is perhaps the darkest day we've ever faced. This tribe has had a code that we all lived by and up until now it's served us well. However, I feel like I have another man's blood on my hands now. I don't know how to rectify this without changing our code, so I've brought us all together to address this.

"Since this tribe formed, it was agreed that we would never give in to the primal nature of killing. I'm beginning to see that killing may become an inevitable part of our lives and this tribe. If that is to be the case, however; I don't see why any of us should have to witness it."

"What are you proposing, Timmy?" A woman asked.

"When this Ark was first built, there was only one tribe. The people of this tribe worked out their differences through civilized means. When they couldn't, they traveled to a cave not far from here. We call it Spirit Cave, but back then it was known as the Cave of Resolve. Two combatants would go in and usually only one would come out. If any of you crave such violence, I propose that this tradition be restored."

I listened to the sound of silence for nearly a minute before someone spoke.

"How does this tradition work, exactly?" An older man asked.

Ronald Fentwick. He had never killed a person in his life, but after the hunting expeditions he'd been on, he had a craving for killing. There were rumors that he suffered from mental illness; after joining an expedition with him, I was inclined to believe the rumors. His facial expression remained neutral, but I caught the twinkle of excitement in his eyes.

"The two parties would seek an audience with their tribe leader and state their complaints. If the leader found that the claims warranted a duel to the death, he would accompany the combatants to the cave with five of his most trusted members. The combatant who lost would be banished from the tribe."

"I challenge Ronald Fentwick." A teenager said suddenly.

Eighteen year old Evan Davids. He had just joined the tribe a week ago. I wasn't aware of any conflicts between him and any of the other tribe members, but there were rumors. I had heard recently that someone had used him as bait to hunt a carnotaurus.

"What is the basis of your claim, Evan?" I asked uncomfortably.

"I've been forced into being dino bait since the first day I got here. The bastard threatened to kill me if I refused. I ended up dying three times and never found any of my stuff I lost." The boy snarled.

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"Come to think of it, Timmy, that hatchet looks a bit high quality for Ron. Evan's craftsmanship, on the other hand, could produce such a tool." Chris pointed out.

"Shut the fuck up, Sanders! You're next when I'm finished with him!" Ronald glared.

"I've heard enough." I locked eyes with Ronald before saying, "Get the hell out of here; I don't accept murderous bullies in my tribe."

"Are you going to make me? We both know you can't kill a person." Ronald grinned.

"I see. So you're challenging me then."

"Why not? I don't think I'm going to lose."

"Alright. Let's do this then." I said as I began to undress.

"Here? Not in the Cave of Resolve?"

"That is a tradition reserved for those who respect their tribe." I replied as I approached him.

"Whatever; this tribe is going to be mine either way." Ronald chuckled as he stripped down to his boxers.

In case you're wondering, we stripped down to our boxers to ensure that neither had a concealed weapon. If we had been a tribe of men, we would have stripped completely, but there were ten women in the tribe. We're not gay; it's a matter of honor.

We met each other in the middle as the tribe formed a circle around us on the edge of the platform. An instant later, I took a swift punch to the face. He pelted my body with blows, but I had the advantage still. I had been raised by a Chinese family on Earth. I didn't keep many of their traditions, but the various forms of martial arts they taught had been pounded into me, literally.

I swung my arm up and to the side, deflecting his next blow. I jumped up and drove my foot into his chest. The impact knocked him back a a couple of meters, but he didn't fall. He grinned as he slowly stepped forward. I saw that brute force wasn't going to work on him. He stood nearly two tenths of a meter taller than me and probably had ten or twelve kilos on me. The only way I was going to beat him was if I used my knowledge of the human body's weak points.

Without warning, he grabbed me by the neck and lifted me off of my feet. I drove my knee into his stomach, successfully knocking the wind out of him. He dropped me to the floor and staggered on one knee. I waited for him to recover his breath. He shook his head as he stood on both feet again.

"That was the only chance you had of beating me." Ronald snickered.

He assaulted me with a flurry of blows which were reminiscent of a kickboxer. I blocked or deflected most of the blows, but he was too damn fast. With every successful blow he landed, my body grew weaker. If we went blow for blow, I would lose this fight and my tribe. I would have to rely on a specific style of combat now to take him down. A hard blow to the head left me with no choice.

My body became flexible and uncentered as I staggered around him. Although my balance was slightly affected by the last blow, I exaggerated my movements, hoping he would misread the situation. It worked like a charm, I might add; he assumed I was easy pickings now.

The look on his face was priceless when I dodged his next blow with ease. I dodged or blocked his concurrent blows before lashing out without warning. Snake fist style was perfect for this occasion; I struck all of his weak points with no predictable pattern, always striking when he was least prepared. After a few moments more of relentless blows, he collapsed onto his back. He lay on the floor unable to move any of his limbs.

"I might not be a killer, Ronald, but I definitely won this fight." I said as I walked away from him.

I approached Evan and Chris now, still dazed from the fight and not thinking clearly. Evan's eyes went wide before he lunged to the floor at Ronald's clothing. I sluggishly turned to face Ronald again. He had gained some mobility and crawled over to my clothing. He slowly brought up my revolver, but the hatchet was faster.

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Evan thrust the hatchet forward with all the strength he had. I watched everything happen in slow motion as the hatchet left the boy's hand. Right as the barrel of my gun lined up with my forehead, the hatchet was in his. He dropped to the floor. Any ordinary stone hatchet would have failed to fully penetrate his skull, but Evan's meticulous crafting skills made his tools the sharpest and most precise in the tribe.

Evan stared at Ron's body for a moment. He then lurched forward on his hands and knees, vomiting on the platform repeatedly with his eyes closed. He weakly sat up as I approached him. We locked eyes for a moment before he closed his again.

I glanced down, put a hand on the boy's shoulder, and said before passing out, "I owe you one, kid."

I suddenly woke in my bed. I looked over to see that Chris and Evan were seated by my side. The lit torches told me that night had set in, meaning I had been unconscious for hours. I was grateful that Chris had redressed me; tonight was a bit cooler than usual.

"You scared the shit out of me." Evan smiled weakly.

"Even if he killed me, I'd be back. Besides, after seeing what you can do with a hatchet, I'd say you gave me a scare too." I chuckled.

"I hate to break up your little fan club, but the tribe took a hit while you were out." Chris said.

"How so?" I asked as I sat up.

"You were right about how killing would change our tribe. Including Fentwick, twelve more men left the tribe. There are thirty-seven of us left."

"All of the women have stayed? Well, that's good for Evan." I smirked.

"All joking aside, Timmy, we don't have the strength to repel an attack from Dirty Pigs if they decide to invade our land."

"It doesn't matter, Chris," I paused with a sigh, "We can't repel them unless we're willing to kill."

"What do we do now?" Evan asked.

"What we've always done, Evan; survive." I answered simply.

"Our strongest men have left us; how will that change our tribe?"

"I'm not sure that he knows yet, Evan." Chris frowned.

"I don't have all of the details worked out yet, but one thing's for certain; we'll be needing a good smithy." I said, grinning at Evan.

"Oh, I'm not that good." Evan murmured as he glanced at the floor.

"You pierced a guy's skull with a stone hatchet, Evan; if that's not craftsmanship, I don't know what is." Chris pointed out.

"I'd rather not think about that right now." Evan replied nervously.

"Our distaste for killing is what unifies us as a tribe, but there are instances when killing is inevitable." I paused before continuing, "Regardless though, you have a gift that our tribe needs to survive."

"I make sharp weapons; how does that benefit a tribe that won't kill their enemies?" Evan asked, confused now.

"Those men weren't just warriors, Evan. They were our best hunters as well. High quality weapons would go a long ways towards helping an inexperienced hunter." I said calmly.

"I suppose that's true." Evan said slowly with a nod.

"The choice is yours, of course, but we could really use your help, Evan." I pointed out gently, trying not to put too much pressure on the boy.

"I-I understand. What do you need, Timmy?" Evan replied after a moment of silence.

"Don't worry about that today. I'm sure you could use some rest to calm your nerves. We'll talk more about it tomorrow. You may go now, Evan."

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Evan slowly stood up and began to walk away. He turned and glanced at me with a frown, then left my house. Chris turned to face me once the door closed. I knew the man long enough that I had a fair idea of what was on his mind.

"The kid's got a point, you know." Chris said delicately, knowing what my response would be.

"Chris, we're the Tragic Rejects for a reason. Every one of us here becomes sick at the idea of killing another person. What Evan did today may have looked easy from your perspective, but I very much doubt he could do that again. Could you have taken his life; knowing that his death would be forever on your conscience?" I asked, driving my point across.

"It's not like he stays dead though." Chris countered.

"And knowing this fact, you still couldn't have killed him, could you?"

After a long pause, my friend replied with a sigh, "No, I don't think I could."

"That's why we're Tragic Rejects, Chris." I said with a nod.

"How can you be so sure he won't be able to kill again?" Chris asked.

"Do you remember the first time you killed a person in the Ark?"

"As if it happened moments ago." Chris answered.

"How about the second time?"

There was a brief silence before my friend answered, "There wasn't a second time."

"How long was it before you killed a creature?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"Months."

"We'll take Evan on a hunt with us tomorrow. I'm willing to bet he won't be able to make the kill."

"You're probably right. If I _had_ to kill a guy at eighteen, I'd be haunted by my actions too." Chris nodded.

"That'll be all. Get some rest, Chris; I imagine we'll be needing your skills tomorrow."

"I understand. Good night, Timmy."

I watched as Chris left my home, closing the door behind him. I was left alone with my thoughts now. I stood up and walked over to a table, picking up a journal as I sat down. The journal was my way of keeping track of everything that took place around me. Most of my entries were dedicated to the my tribe, but there were a few entries which I considered...personal.

_Day 242 of the Tribe of Tragic Rejects: Yesterday a fight broke out between two of my men. The fight got out of hand and I broke it up, but it would seem that I did more damage than they did. They were both punished in a manner appropriate to the traditions of my ancestors. Both men left the tribe, but one chose a more extreme method of departure. One of the men jumped off of a platform and impaled himself to death on a dinosaur after leaving Tragic Rejects. This made me realize that the customs of my people were no longer suitable for my tribe. I learned that the strongest members of my tribe were bullies and thugs. One of those men challenged me for control of the tribe. I defeated him with some difficulty, but soon realized that he wasn't willing to respect the rules of the tribe. The youngest member of the tribe saved me from a rather cruel death, but now he must live with the fact that he has killed a man. The boy will recover from the shock, but he will never forget this day._

I set the feather pen and journal back on the table before getting up. I put out the torches before going to bed. Tomorrow would be the day that Evan became a full-fledged member of Tragic Rejects, I was certain. There were no rites or rituals required to join my tribe; only a choice. Given his circumstances, I knew what his choice would be.

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I woke up early the next morning and got dressed. The sun was just beginning to peak above the horizon. As I stepped out of my house, I was greeted by a party of six men, including Chris. We glanced at each other before I gave Chris a nod. He left the group for about ten minutes before returning with Evan at his side.

Evan looked tired and unaware of what was going on. I gave him a pat on the shoulder and handed him a crossbow. Evan looked up at me, alarmed at first.

"Are we under attack?"

"No, we're going hunting. It's time to restock our food supply." Chris answered with a chuckle.

"Then I'm not the guy you want." Evan replied nervously.

"Why not?" Chris asked bluntly.

"You know why. I'll only let you down." Evan murmured.

"Actually, Evan, you're not going to let me down." I said confidently.

"How can you be sure?" Evan asked.

"Something that comes with experience, kid." I smirked.

We left the safety of our spike walls and began our journey. It wouldn't be a long journey, considering what our prey was, but for a tribe that couldn't kill, there was never a safe journey. It sounds like a contradiction considering our mission, but we agreed that five of us needed to be able to hunt and kill hostile creatures. Raptors were the main focus, but my tribe has taken down an allosaurus with five people, among other large predators. We've driven off rexes without killing them, but that was with the whole tribe.

It wasn't long before we ran into a pack of raptors in a densely vegetated section of jungle. The pack was five strong against the eight of us, but I was certain that only five of us were ready to kill. They slowly surrounded us; these raptors didn't fear my people for obvious reasons. Evan was the first to raise his crossbow, but his hands were shaking. His face had gone pale with terror as the raptors closed in.

In a blur of motion, Ryan Vanderhill brought up his crossbow and put an arrow in a raptor's skull as it lunged for him. Don Dunham thrust his metal pike through another raptor's throat before it got within biting range. Ben Telbit put a shotgun shell into a pouncing raptor, watching it fall to the ground dead; Ben was the only one in the tribe who could stomach guns as mine was for show; I could fire a shot into the air or the ground, but I couldn't shoot a living, breathing creature. Nate Jones took out the fourth raptor before it could make a move, killing it with his high quality compound bow. Chris was the fifth hunter, obviously, but this was the moment of truth for Evan.

Evan dropped to the ground and the raptor jumped over him. He sat up and fired the crossbow, but the arrow missed by half a meter. He grabbed an arrow and began to load the bow. The raptor charged at him, forcing him to roll to the side to avoid its talons. He lost most of the arrows in the process, but managed to load the crossbow while evading. At nearly point-blank range, he fired.

The shot wasn't fatal and lodged into the raptor's right leg. The raptor growled in pain while staggering back. Evan loaded the crossbow, realizing that it was his only arrow now. The raptor glared as it poked its head forward and shifted into an offensive stance. It sprinted forward in a blur of motion. Evan brought his crossbow up, but he stood frozen in fear. The raptor dropped to the ground at Evan's feet with an arrow in its left eye. I spotted Chris with his crossbow standing five meters to Evan's right.

Evan stood frozen there with his crossbow pointed at nothing. He dropped the crossbow and fell to his knees crying. The men started to approach him, but I waved them off. He didn't seem to notice as I stopped in front of him. I crouched down and embraced him.

Most of the men and women were like brothers and sisters to me, but Evan meant more to me. At twenty-six, I'd be a fool to consider him a son, but the kid was eighteen! I might as well have been a kid myself, but I had experienced most of the things kids my age would do. I'd been laid, gotten drunk, even tripped on hallucinogenic mushrooms. Evan hadn't even experienced his first kiss yet. The kid had so much to learn and I felt like as the tribe leader, it was my responsibility to guide and protect him.

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"I'm proud of you, Evan. This proves that you're one of us."

"Why? Because...I couldn't kill a...raptor?" Evan sobbed.

"Evan, I couldn't have taken the shot either. The fact that you'd rather die than kill a predator-." I began.

"Means I'm weak and useless! If I can't protect myself I won't be able to protect anyone else either!" Evan shouted.

"Every member of my tribe has said that after realizing they'd rather die than kill." I countered calmly but with a raised voice.

"What? You...mean this was a test?"

"Not entirely. We would have done this even without you. I will train you how to fight without killing. You will be as valuable as any other person in our tribe."

"SO, what if I do kill again? Does that mean I'm exiled like Ron?" Evan asked with a look of contempt.

"Kid-."

"Evan." He growled softly with a glare.

"Evan, remember that kill; remember that moment and remember the horror and disgust you felt. Never let go of that." I said delicately as I chose my words.

"Why?"

"Because the day killing becomes second nature is the day you start to lose your humanity."

"How would you know that if you can't kill a raptor?"

"I get it; I'm still a kid too and have nearly as much to learn as you do, but I know what I'm talking about. I can see it in their eyes, in their words. I watched my friend slowly deteriorate into the shell of a man when I first formed this tribe. Every time he killed a person, it took a piece of his soul. Eventually he was reduced to a mindless killing machine and we were forced to part ways."

"Wait, you didn't, did you? Did you...kill your best friend?" Evan asked slowly.

"Evan, every person in my tribe has killed one person. Every person currently in this tribe, including yourself, failed to kill during their first hunt. Most of us still can't kill. These men hunt so that our tribe can gather the strength we need to survive."

"So if they were face to face with the Dirty Pigs, they wouldn't be able to kill them, even in self defense?"

"Ask them yourself, Evan." I said, gesturing to my men.

Evan turned to face them, standing to his left. He looked each of them in the eye before asking, "Is it true that you would let the enemy kill you?"

"I'll do anything to survive, other than killing another person." Ryan answered.

"I will never run from the enemy, but I will never kill the enemy either." Don answered.

"My guns were built for hunting, not killing." Ben replied.

"But what's the difference between hunting and killing, Ben?" Evan asked.

"To some tribes, there is no difference. To our tribe though, one preserves life; the other destroys life, all life. If you don't understand, Evan, don't worry; someday you will." Ben answered carefully.

"Do you feel the same way, Nate?" The boy asked, not hiding the frustration in his voice.

"I could break a guy's legs, Evan, but not his neck." Nate replied softly.

"For what its worth, Evan, I think I _could_ kill, but it would have to be a damn good reason." Chris explained as Evan locked eyes with him.

Page 9

"Saving my tribe leader was a good reason then?"

"Killing the leader is like taking the tribe, Evan. The leader gives strength and courage to their tribe, so killing the leader would weaken, or possibly destroy us." Ben answered.

"But is it the only reason to kill, other than hunting?" Evan asked.

The boy looked all of us in the eye, but no one seemed to have an answer. Even I had to weigh all the possibilities as I considered the question. There were few situations I could think of where killing was necessary and all of them were unpleasant. I decided that this question was better answered in private with the teenager.

"We need to head back to Serenity; it won't be long before larger predators come to claim the bodies."

"This isn't over." Evan muttered.

"No, it isn't." I agreed softly.

Walking back to the village was a quiet and awkward journey. On occasion, I would glance at Evan only to receive a glare. The other men gave me worrisome glances, not sure how to deal with the tension. Chris was the only one who didn't seem to be bothered by the situation, but I knew better.

Upon entering the village, I was surprised to see the tribe standing in a circle. I slowly approached them and stepped through the circle. Evan was a few steps behind me. I glanced back to see a couple of woman try to hold him back, but he shook them off. My men joined the women in holding him in place. Chris stood next to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his jaw drop open. I turned to glance in front of me. I must admit, I wasn't prepared for the sight that greeted me.

It was a teenage girl. She couldn't have been more than sixteen. She was short and thin with long golden hair and dark blue eyes. Her body was bruised and the undergarments she was supposed to spawn in with were missing. The other eight women covered her nakedness and glared at me. That was my cue to leave, but I demanded answers.

"Who did this to you?" I asked somewhat angrily.

There was no reply.

"Has she spoken to either of you?" I asked the women.

They shook their heads.

"When did she get here?" I asked.

"Moments before you arrived, Timmy. You really shouldn't be here right now." Tracy Sylas answered gently.

"So no one here did this?" I asked sternly, returning their glare.

"No, she walked out of the woods like this from the north. Please go." Tracy answered

"LET GO OF ME!" Evan roared, forcing me to turn around.

"Evan?!" The girl cried.

The small group holding Evan suddenly stepped back and he ran through the circle. By instinct, I grabbed his his arm and stopped his momentum, but he had already seen the girl, which was probably for the best, because...

"Angela?! What happened?! Let go of me, Timothy, that's my sister!"

I broke my grip and he rushed forward, only to be stopped by the women surrounding the girl. The girl became hysteric.

"Evan! Let him through! He's my brother! I need my brother!"

They glanced at me and I gave them a nod. They reluctantly parted to either side, letting Evan through. He took off his shirt and dressed her into it before hugging her.

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"Who did this to you?! No, I have a better question; why are you here?!" Evan demanded, struggling to keep his voice calm.

"They left me, _us_ , Evan! Mom and Dad abandoned us!" She cried.

"Why?! Why did they abandon you?!" Evan demanded, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Tracy, take her to your house and give her a full examination. Take anyone you need." I said as I approached Evan and lifted him to his feet.

"What are you doing?! I won't leave my sister! She needs me!" Evan shouted.

"She's not going anywhere. Right now, she needs a mother's love. Tracy is best suited for the task. We'll make sure you see, but not before she's had time to recover." I insisted as I began to pull him away.

Evan pulled back and stood in place before saying slowly, "She needs me."

"Evan, there are some situations where women prefer the company of other women. If you understand what she's gone through, you know why." Chris explained as he stood next to me.

Evan turned to face his sister and they locked eyes for a moment. She slowly gave him a nod. Tracy gently brought her to her feet and walked her away, the other women following behind. Evan slowly locked eyes with me. I saw the sorrow, rage, and desperation in his eyes; the same look I'd see in any parent's eyes.

"I think we need to talk, Evan."

"Yeah," The boy paused to briefly look over his shoulder before locking eyes with me again, "I think you're right."

Chris and Evan followed me into my house. I motioned them to sit down. Evan could no longer hold back his emotions and broke down crying. I didn't understand how he had gone this long without shedding a tear, but now they dripped on my wooden floor. I stood silently for an eternity while Chris rested a hand on Evan's shoulder. When he finally regained some composure, he looked up at me and spoke softly.

"I don't know which is worse; being tortured here or betrayed on Earth."

"To understand that, I would need to know what your family was like." I said calmly.

"Alright." Evan inhaled deeply before breathing out and saying, "Our father never could stay out of trouble, so we didn't see much of him. He never did anything bad enough to end up here, but he spent plenty of time in other Arks. Our mother was an alcoholic; she never did much to raise us beyond food, clothing, and shelter. I ran away at sixteen and joined a street gang until I saw my first murder. I thought Angela would be safe until she grew up and made a life for herself."

"She's clearly not an adult yet." Chris pointed out.

"No, Angela's fifteen. I'm three years older than her."

"I take it she wasn't known for getting into trouble." I guessed.

"No! My sister was the best out of all of us." Evan answered defensively.

"I have no reason to doubt you, Evan. None of what you said explained why she was sent here though." I pointed out. 

"I don't know. I was told only the most violent criminals were sent here." Evan said with a frustrated growl.

"So what can we determine with the info we have?" Chris asked.

"Besides the fact that Dirty Pigs raped my sister!" Evan growled.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Evan's right. No one would dare wander into their territory. She likely spawned on their beach and they caught her. How she escaped though is beyond me." I paused and changed the focus of the conversation when I saw the look of contempt on Evan's face, "This is what I've gathered so far. Your father doesn't care enough to stay out of trouble and your mother is either dead or getting rehabilitated in some shelter."

Page 11

"Or on the streets scoring booze."

"She's left you before?" Chris asked.

"The longest she ever left me was four days, when I was twelve."

"I imagine you spent a lot of time taking care of your sister. You don't react like a typical brother would. You react like a parent would." I said delicately.

"What's the difference?" Evan asked suspiciously.

"A brother would be looking for someone to kill. A parent, on the other hand, would share the pain and suffering of their child while looking for someone to kill."

"Timmy," Evan paused before locking eyes with me again, "Is this one of those times when killing would be acceptable?"

"If you killed only the ones who were responsible for her suffering, yes." I said, barely more than a murmur.

"But you couldn't do it, could you?" Chris asked, surprising me with the personal question.

"Could you?" I asked him.

"I don't know." He replied honestly.

"Why not?"

"I'm afraid that if I did, I'd turn into a monster." Chris answered.

"That's why I couldn't, Chris. Anger is just as deadly as any weapon you could imagine crafting. The difference though is that anger doesn't wear out or break like conventional weapons do; instead, anger breaks you." I said with a sad smile.

"Maybe when the time comes, I'll understand what you mean, but right now, I want someone to die." Evan barked.

"I hope that when the time comes, you hold on to what's most important to you."

There was a long silence before Evan spoke.

"Who was your best friend?"

"His name is Sean Bishop." I paused and sighed before continuing, "To answer your next question, he leads the tribe of Shadow Raptors. Every man in that tribe is a murderer. I've heard rumors that Sean is the only one who can actually resist killing, but I haven't spoken to him since the day...I killed him."

"What happened?" Evan asked awkwardly.

"I don't even know that story, Evan. He's never told anyone. The only other person who knows is Tracy." Chris cut in before I could speak.

"Oh, sorry."

"Don't worry, kid. I'll tell you someday." I smiled.

After an awkward silence, I said, "Chris, you may go. Evan, you'll stay with me tonight."

"What? Why?"

"I don't need you trying to sneak into Tracy's house. I can promise you'll get your ass kicked if you try." I answered casually.

"He's not joking. Tracy taught the women how to fight."

"And I taught Tracy how to fight." I added.

"Fine." Evan sighed in defeat.

"You'll know what I know regarding your sister, don't worry." I assured the boy.

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Evan stayed with me for three days before a woman knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Rachel Clarkson; Tracy's best friend.

"She wishes to see both of you." Rachel said.

We followed the woman back to Tracy's house. Tracy's house was modest. There were two beds, dressers, and a bookshelf on the loft floor; the ground floor had a couch, a table with four chairs, and a fireplace. It wasn't what I would consider as 'conventional', but Tracy was never one for staying in one place for too long.

Angela stood behind the railing of the loft dressed in a light yellow gown. The gown covered everything except her arms and feet. She seemed happy to see Evan, but looked frightened upon glancing at me. Angela looked down at Tracy as she spoke, sitting on the couch, which faced the loft from the front wall of the house.

"Timmy is a good man. He taught me how to protect myself."

"Oh, okay." Angela said as she slowly came down the stairs.

She hugged Evan and they embraced for a minute before she sat next to Tracy. Evan and I sat at the table and faced them. Angela stared at Evan for a while before glancing at me, then turning to face Tracy. Evan broke the silence.

"How did you end up here?"

"Actually, I'd like to know how you escaped." I spoke up.

"No, Timmy; you'll want to here this. Go on, sweetie." Tracy said encouragingly.

"Dad's...in here, somewhere. He killed a guy."

"When?!" Evan asked, clearly alarmed.

"A month ago. Then a week ago, Mom left me. Judicial officers found her tripping on hallucinogenic mushrooms. She attacked one of the officers and I was sent to a shelter. The shelter had no room though and I was placed on a bus with a dozen other children."

"There are eleven more children in this Ark?" I asked, unable to mask the alarm in my voice.

"No, Sir, there are hundreds of us coming." Angela answered.

"Why? And please call me Timmy; everyone else does."

"War, Sir. The criminal factions have united against the Judicial forces."

"But how did you end up here, Angela? Why are the shelters full?" Evan asked.

"We were told that our bodies would be safe in the Arkadia labs. They told us...we were going to a better place." Angela answered with a sob.

"That's bullshit! This place is the most dangerous place to put a child!" I snarled.

"I agree. I think the criminal element has insiders working at Arkadia Industries." Tracy nodded.

"That wouldn't surprise me." I scowled in disgust.

"Why not?" Evan asked.

"Rumor has it Levi Benson is looking for his daughter, _here_ , in the Barbarian Lands."

"Emily Joy?" Evan asked suddenly.

"Yeah." I replied uncomfortably.

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"Joy Toy." Angela murmured with a sob.

"What?" I asked, stunned by the words that came out of her mouth.

"He calls her 'Joy Toy'. He's not just looking for his daughter; he's looking for his Joy Toy." Angela cried now.

"Disgusting!" Tracy spat.

"Were you-were you...his Joy Toy?" Evan stammered nervously.

"Evan!" I warned, but the damage was already done.

"No Evan! I was everyone's Joy Toy! I was shared among both men and women! Even their slaves played with me! Do you want a turn too, _Brother_?!" Angela screamed.

"We'll be leaving now, but could I please ask how you escaped?" I said as I stood up.

"I didn't. After a week, he released me and said he'd be back for me if he didn't find her soon." Angela sobbed.

I clamped my hand on Evan's shoulder and pulled him out of his seat. He stared at me, but didn't fight this time. I gave Angela one last look before nodding towards Tracy. As soon as we stepped out of the house, I threw the teen to the ground. I was tempted to give him a beating, but I had worked too hard to get where I was; this was the danger of anger.

"What the hell were you thinking?! That was about the dumbest thing you could have asked her!" I shouted.

"I wasn't thinking clearly, Timmy! I was just wondering-." Evan's voice trailed off.

"Wondering what?" I snapped with a glare.

"I-I-I was wond-wondering what it would b-be like...to be him." Evan stammered fearfully.

"Why?!" I demanded to know where the teen was going with this.

"Because he gets everything he wants and no one does anything about it!"

"So you want to be just like the man who tortured and violated your sister?!"

"NO, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO NOT BE AFRAID ALL THE TIME!" Evan roared before gasping for breath.

I stood there and let his statement sink in. I was about to dismiss his words when I realized what he meant. My tribe were trained warriors capable of defending against a t-rex, but I taught every one of them to run at the first sign of a raid. They had the ability to incapacitate nearly any person they encountered and they were trained to run. If the Dirty Pigs came back for Angela, my order would be to abandon the village and take her with us. They would chase us until they got what they wanted: Eleven healthy females and twenty-seven dead men.

I slowly reached down and offered my hand to Evan. He grabbed and I pulled him onto his feet. We locked eyes for a moment before I finally spoke.

"I see now that running isn't an option with this enemy. I will begin teaching this tribe everything I know. _You_ will figure out how to make things right with your sister." I stated bluntly.

"When should I apologize?" Evan asked.

"Normally I'd say the sooner the better. In this case, though, you're better off waiting until she calls for you again." I suggested.

"Why not now?"

"Because if you went back now you'd probably wake up on the edge of a platform with a broken nose, swollen eyes, and a throbbing headache." I chuckled.

"You can't be serious!" Evan gasped.

Page 14

"Actually, Tracy killed me in my sleep after she saw me bring the second woman into the tribe." I frowned.

"Why? You're the tribe leader, right?"

"Sure, but see how much sense that makes to your second best friend when you're holding the hand of a woman in her undergarments." I said before walking away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't abandon this story, but I made a promise to a fan and need to get started on it. My new project is a crossover between Gunslinger Girl&Soul Eater called The Souls That Won't Die.


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